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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Cornell
Players Mentioned
Baseball Earns Home Field In Ivy Championship Series; Splits With Cornell
April 30, 2016 | Baseball
PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton baseball team clinched home field advantage in the Ivy League Championship Series with a split vs. the Cornell Big Red at Clarke Field on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers lost game one, 4-3, but won game two, 7-2.
The dates and times of the Ivy League Championship Series have not been announced. Check out goprincetontigers.com for more information.
After game two of today's doubleheader, the team gathered around home plate to honor its senior class. Each member of the group was given a plaque while the Robert H.B. Baldwin '42 Head Coach of Baseball, Scott Bradley, spoke about each senior and their accomplishments for the program.
Cornell 4, Princeton 3 - Box Score
Unlike yesterday where Princeton scored the first run in each game, Cornell got on the board to begin the matchup on a home run to right field from Dale Wickham.
In the second inning, freshman Joseph Flynn sliced a ball to left field that was misplayed into a double. The next hitter, junior Paul Tupper, responded by ripping a double over the right fielder's head to tie the contest at 1-all.
Senior Luke Strieber retired seven-in-a-row after giving up the first inning run before a single by Ellis Bitar in the third inning. Wickham, the next man up, socked another home run over the right field fence to make it 3-1 Cornell. The Princeton starter recovered by getting six of the next eight batters before Wickham hit his third home run of the contest in the sixth.
Cornell's starter Michael Byrne retired eight straight Tigers from the third through sixth innings before an error put senior Danny Hoy on second base. Bryne worked around the error with a ground out and popup to complete the frame.
In its last at-bat, Princeton's first three runners reached base via a walk, hit-by-pitch and single. Sophomore Asher Lee-Tyson came up and drilled a two-run double to right field, setting the score at 4-3. Freshman Jesper Horsted proceeded to line out to the third baseman and then senior Billy Arendt hit a line drive directly at the shortstop. Hoy hit a chopper to third base, but was thrown out to end the ball game.
Princeton 7, Cornell 2 - Box Score
Horsted, juniors Zack Belski and Nick Hernandez had a team-high two hits each for Princeton. The Tigers had four extra-base hits in the contest including Hoy's 10th double of the year. Junior Keelan Smithers went 8 1/3 innings, gave up just one earned run and struck out seven to pick up his fourth win of the season.
The first scoring opportunity of the game came in the home half of the second inning. Three straight singles by the Tigers loaded the bases with no out. Cornell's starting pitcher, Paul Balestrieri got a strikeout, popup and fielder's choice to escape the jam.
Smithers started off his outing by getting 13 of the first 15 Cornell hitters out. He scattered just two hits and struck out four during that stretch. In the fifth, the Big Red would put a runner on with a single, but the junior threw a 5-4-3 double play ball to complete the inning.
Princeton jumped ahead in the fifth with three runs. Junior Danny Baer led off with a ground-rule double to left field. Senior Andrew Christie continued the rally with a double that allowed Baer to score. Christie moved to third on a base hit from Lee-Tyson and touched home on a wild pitch. On the wild pitch, Lee-Tyson advanced to third and gave Princeton its third run on a ground out from Horsted.
The Tigers had a chance to add on in the sixth as their first three batters were walked. The Big Red's Jamie Flynn came into the game and got out of the threat with a strikeout, popup and foul out.
The Tigers doubled their run total with a three-spot in the seventh. With one out, Arendt walked and then scampered around the bases to score on a double from Hoy. The hit train continued as Hernandez knocked in the senior second baseman on a bouncing ball that got through the infield. Belski deposited a two-base hit to left-center to give the Tigers a 6-0 lead.
Following another tally by Princeton on a wild pitch, Cornell broke up Smithers' shutout bid on a run-producing hit by Mark Fraser in the ninth. Senior Danny Thomson finished off the game with the final two outs.