Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cornell (Game 1)
Nothing Decided: Baseball Splits With Cornell
April 29, 2005 | Baseball
April 29, 2005
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
Princeton, N.J. - Senior Will Venable went 4 for 4 with five RBIs and two homers to lead the Princeton baseball team to a split with Cornell Saturday afternoon in an Ivy League and Gehrig Division doubleheader at Clarke Field. With the split, Princeton now needs to win both games Sunday at Cornell to claim its 10th-consecutive Gehrig Division title. A Cornell win in either game would give the Big Red the crown.
Princeton (15-23, 9-9 Ivy) fell in the opening game 5-3 behind a five-run third inning for Cornell (16-19, 10-8 Ivy). The Big Red began the inning with consecutive walks and a double by Seth Gordon put Cornell up for good. Princeton came back with three runs in the fifth inning but could not get any closer.
In the fifth, sophomore Sal Iacono hit a leadoff single to center field and went to second on junior Zach Wendkos' one-out infield single. Sophomore Matthew Becker then dropped a single in shallow left field to plate Iacono. Sophomore Aaron Prince was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and two runs scored when Venable hit a single to center field. It was the first two RBIs of seven on the day for Venable.
Cornell's Tad Bardenwerper won the first game to improve to 4-3. He allowed three runs on eight hits. Sophomore Gavin Fabian took the loss allowing five runs on five hits in four innings. Freshman Steven Miller allowed a hit in three innings of scoreless relief. In Game 2, Cornell jumped to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but Princeton steadily chipped at the lead before pulling away at the end. In the first, Prince hit a leadoff double to right center and scored on a single by Venable to make it 3-1.
Venable made it 3-2 on a solo home run to right center, the deepest part of Clarke Field, in the third inning. The score remained that way until Venable came to the plate in the fifth inning. The first pitch of the inning hit junior Stephen Wendell to put a runner on, and he scored when Venable hit his second homer of the day and ninth of the season to right field to make the score 4-3 and give Princeton its first lead.
The Tigers added a run in the seventh on fourth RBI-hit by Venable. Becker hit a one-out single to left center, reached second on a passed ball and scored on a Venable single to make the score 5-3.
Princeton added three more in the eighth to reach the 8-3 final. Junior Ryan Eldridge hit a leadoff single to left. He was pinch run for by sophomore Eric Walz who went to third when Iacono singled through the left side. Walz scored on a RBI-infield single by Wendell, and both Iacono and Wendell scored when Becker doubled to left center. Becker was 4 for 7 for the day with three RBIs.
Freshman Christian Staehely earned the first win of his career in the game. He pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowing three runs on five hits. Senior Brian Kappel closed out the game by tossing two and a third perfect innings of relief for his fifth save of the season.
Princeton heads to Ithaca on Sunday with a chance to claim the division title. The doubleheader begins at 12 noon.