Princeton University
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Dartmouth
Players Mentioned
Baseball Sweeps Dartmouth With Two Walk-Off Wins
April 03, 2016 | Baseball
PRINCETON, N.J. – After winning just seven games all of the last year, the Princeton baseball team surpassed that total with two thrilling victories over the Dartmouth Big Green on Saturday afternoon at Clarke Field.
Princeton posted a 2-1 win on a walk-off double by senior Billy Arendt while freshmen Joseph Flynn's long RBI single sent Tigers' fans home happy with a 9-8 decision in the second game. The team's record now stands 9-10 overall and 2-0 in the Ivy League.
Princeton 2, Dartmouth 1 - Box Score
Freshmen Jesper Horsted and junior Zack Belski each nabbed two hits to lead the offense. Senior Luke Strieber threw his fourth career complete game, allowing just one earned run to earn the victory on the mound. He tied his season-high with six strikeouts.
It looked like the Tigers were ready to push across a run in their first at-bat with runners on second and third, but Dartmouth's Duncan Robinson got a ground out to put away the home team.
After allowing hits in the first and second, Strieber sent the visitors down in order in the third and fourth frames.
With one out in the fourth inning, junior Nick Hernandez and Belski produced back-to-back singles to put runners at the corners. Flynn followed by ripping a double down the line to score Hernandez. The Big Green retied the contest in the next half inning on a run-scoring triple by Rob Emery with one out. Emery was left stranded on third base as Strieber ended the threat with consecutive punch outs.
The Big Green was about to take a lead in the sixth inning on a two-out Michael Ketchmark single, but Horsted threw Ben Socher out at the plate on a perfect throw from left field. Belski began the Tigers' half of the sixth with a double, but Robinson worked around the jam with two strikeouts and a groundout.
Horsted picked up his second hit of the game as he lined a double to right center in the Tigers' last at-bat. The subsequent batter, Arendt, laced a line drive over the left fielders' head, sending Horsted home to finish off the victory.
Princeton 9, Dartmouth 8 (10 inn.) - Box Score
Five different players had multi-hit games for the Tigers highlighted by Flynn's three knocks. Junior Chad Powers received a no-decision in the start for Princeton. Powers scattered seven hits and did not give up a run in six innings.
A fielders' choice positioned the Tigers ahead 1-0 in the home half of the first. The Big Green had runners in scoring position in each of Powers' six innings, but the Tigers' starting pitcher overcame each jam unscathed. 13 of Powers' 18 outs were recorded on the ground.
Princeton put together a big scoring rally in the sixth inning. Arendt socked a long home run (sixth career) over the left field fence with one out. Belski drilled a three-run bomb to right field (third career) to make the score, 5-0, a few batters later. Flynn went back-to-back with another four-bagger for his second of the season.
In the next half inning, the Big Green generated six runs to tie the game. Dartmouth had three hits in the frame, but four walks and three Princeton errors added to the cause. Adam Gauthier's RBI single gave Dartmouth its sixth run.
Senior Danny Thomson had a clean inning in the seventh and allowed just one base runner in the eighth to settle things down for the time being. Flynn led off the ninth inning with a single and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by junior Paul Tupper, but the Tigers failed to get the freshmen home, sending the game into extra innings.
Four straight hits in the 10th inning gave Dartmouth its first lead in either game at 8-6. The Big Green seemed destined to add more insurance runs, but senior Danny Hoy threw a runner out at the plate to end the inning.
Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Princeton to start its half of the 10th. The next hitter, Hernandez, slashed a double to center field to tie the Ivy League matchup at 8-all. Belski was intentionally walked to reload the bases with no out for Flynn. The freshmen came through with clutch walk-off single as he deposited a fly ball to left center field.
Horsted had four hits in doubleheader and is hitting .500 in his last three games (6-of-12). Flynn has a five-game hitting streak and has a .400 batting average (8-of-20) during that span. Belski has hits in four straight contests including three multi-hit outings.
The last time Princeton began Ivy League play with a sweep was two seasons ago as it took down Dartmouth. The Tigers will welcome Harvard to Clarke Field tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at noon. The first game is a seven-inning contest while the second is a nine-inning tilt.