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Princeton University Athletics
Baseball Hosts Rutgers in Final Tune-up to Ivy Opener
March 29, 2005 | Baseball
March 29, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - The Princeton baseball team welcomes Rutgers to Clarke Field on Wednesday afternoon in the Tigers' final warm-up before the Ivy League season commences over the weekend. The Tigers are hunting for their fifth Ivy title on a six-year span.
Last weekend Princeton (4-11) split a pair of doubleheaders with defending America East champion Stony Brook. On both days, Princeton won the opening game and dropped the second one.
Princeton's two wins were characterized by strong starting pitching performances and key hitting by junior Andrew Salini. In Friday's 3-2 win, sophomore Gavin Fabian allowed two runs on four hits as he earned a complete-game 3-2 win for his second win of the season. The following day, junior Erik Stiller held Stony Brook scoreless through eight innings, allowing just five hits en route to a 2-0 victory for his second win of the year as well.
Offensively, Salini was Princeton's strongest hitter over the weekend. In the first win, his two-run double erased a 2-0 Stony Brook and lead and he later scored the winning run on a single by junior Ryan Eldridge. The following day he hit a solo home run in Princeton's 2-0 win. On the weekend, he led all Princeton batters with a .467 average to raise his overall batting average to .436. He had two doubles, a home run, three RBIs and scored two runs. Senior Will Venable also hit above .400 on the weekend and continues to lead Princeton offensively with a .444 average.
In addition to Salini's home run, junior Stephen Wendell also homered on the weekend, giving the Tigers 17 long balls this season, which is seven more than any other team in the Ivy League. Princeton's .276 team batting average ranks second in the league behind Harvard (.280). Fabian's outing was his second strong performance in a row as he lowered his ERA by over a run-and-a-half over his last two starts. Stiller has also had two strong outing in a row, allowing just a run in two games, and has pitched 14 straight scoreless innings. He has allowed 11 hits and struck out eight in the two games, and lowered his ERA by over four runs in the stretch to a team's-best 2.74.
Sophomore Eric Walz also had a strong start on Friday for the Tigers allowing two runs in six innings before the Tigers lost in the late innings, and freshmen Reid Peyton, Christian Staehely and Steven Miller all pitched good innings in relief.
Rutgers (12-8, 3-1 Big East) enters the game having won six of its last seven games. The Scarlet Knights opened their league season last weekend, splitting a doubleheader at Villanova and sweeping one at Pittsburgh.
Last season, Rutgers posted a 15-6 win over the Tigers in Piscataway. The Scarlet Knights have won two straight in the series with Princeton last winning in 2002. Venable and junior Zach Wendkos both had RBIs in last year's game and Salini had a team-high three hits in the game.
Princeton and Rutgers have two common opponents this season, William & Mary and Old Dominion. Against the Tribe, Princeton went 0-3, while Rutgers was 3-0. Against Old Dominion, Princeton was 2-1, and Rutgers was 1-2.
The Tigers and Scarlet Knights have met 91 times in the history of the two programs with Rutgers holding a 55-34-2 edge. Princeton is 1-5 versus the Scarlet Knights in head coach Scott Bradley's tenure at Princeton.
Princeton kicks off the Ivy League season on Saturday when Yale visits Clarke Field for a doubleheader on Saturday and Brown comes to town for a twin bill on Sunday.