Princeton University
1-12
Towson
6-12
Hot Hitting Propels Baseball Past Towson in Saturday Twin Bill
March 19, 2022 | Baseball
Towson, Md. — There was no shortage of runs in Maryland as an incredible day at the plate saw Princeton win both games of its doubleheader against Towson, 18-11 in game one and 21-8 in game two.
The Tigers put plenty of fresh ink in the record book this afternoon. As a team, Princeton set the program record for runs scored in a doubleheader after tallying a combined 39 in today's twin bill. Brendan Cumming set the program record for RBI in a game after driving in nine runs in game two.
Across both games, Cumming went 8-for-12 with 12 RBI, seven runs scored, and three home runs. His season average improves to .397 following the strong hitting display.
Aside from Cumming's hitting heroics, Carlos Abello (4), Caden Shapiro (3), and Alejandro Espinel (2) had multiple hits in game one while Jackson Emus (3), Kaden Kram (3), Nick DiPietrantonio (2), and Jordan Kelly (2) had multi-hit games in game two.
Nadir Lewis added on to his team-leading tally in RBI, as four in game one and one in game two brought his season RBI total to 18. DiPietrantonio also had four RBI in game one, while Emus and Kelly each provided three in game two. DiPietrantonio and Lewis both hit grand slams to solidify Princeton's grip on game one.
On the mound, Eric Hoefer and Tom Chmielewski earned their first wins of the season. Patrick Jarvis was given the save after pitching the final four frames of game two.
Game One
Towson's bats got to work early with two runs in the first inning and another in the second to take a quick, 2-0 lead. A bases-loaded wild pitch allowed Scannell to score from third before Abello plated the other two baserunners with an RBI single to knot the game at 3-3 in the top of the third.
All tied up ??
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Abello clears the bags with a two-run single!
Princeton 3, Towson 3 | Top 3 pic.twitter.com/4trbxJAbGA
Solo home runs in consecutive innings restored Towson's two-run advantage to make it a 5-3 ballgame. Matt Scannell pulled within one with a solo home run of his own in the seventh, but Towson once again took a two-run, 6-4 lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the frame.
Then, the Princeton offense exploded with eight runs on six hits in the eighth.
A single, walk, and a batter hit by pitch loaded the bases. Noah Granet drove in a pair with a game-tying RBI single to left-center, then, after another walk loaded the bases, DiPietrantonio crushed a grand slam to right-center to give Princeton a 10-6 lead. Cumming added on to that score with a two-run shot to left-center.
The vibes are immaculate. pic.twitter.com/4p8DB5udhM
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Towson lessened the deficit to three in the bottom of the frame, but Princeton punched back with six more runs in the ninth to give it sizable breathing room. Three singles loaded the bases, then Eric Marasheski was plunked to make it 13-9. Cumming ripped an RBI single into right field, then Lewis cleared the bases with a grand slam to right field to make it 18-9.
We're running out of words to describe @nadirlewis. pic.twitter.com/5MzRLwkxvx
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Towson plated a pair in the bottom of the ninth, but the insurance added by Princeton in the ninth inning put the game out of reach.
Game Two
The Tigers picked up right where they left off to start game two. On the first pitch of the game, Cumming smacked a solo homer over the batter's eye in center field. Towson responded in the bottom of the frame with four runs, but Princeton punched back with another three—thanks to a two-run single from Cumming and a sacrifice fly from Kevin Blowers—to make it a 4-4 game after two innings.
Bang. pic.twitter.com/kH7VchJZAm
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Princeton then regained its advantage with three more runs in the top of the third. DiPietrantonio gave the Tigers the lead with a one-run bloop single to center field. Then, Jordan Kelly cleared the bags with a bases-clearing, two-run, stand-up triple to make it a 7-4 game.
Right into the gap ?? pic.twitter.com/2N8i0k0qxN
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Towson mustered yet another response in the bottom of the third with an RBI double and two RBI singles to tie the game again, this time at 7-7.
After three innings of seemingly non-stop scoring for both teams, one team sustained its offense while the other could not. Princeton outscored Towson 14-1 from the fourth inning onwards.
RBI singles from Cumming and Emus, an RBI double from Lewis, and an RBI walk drawn by Lewis made it 10-7 in the fifth inning. An RBI double from Kelly extended the lead, then Cumming mashed a three-run home run gave Princeton a 14-7 lead. Two more RBI, one on a throwing error and one on a double from Scannell, made it 16-7 after six innings.
Brendan Cumming, appointment viewing. pic.twitter.com/uQHiF8QJ9T
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Princeton made it 19-7, with Cumming driving in two more and Emus bringing home another in the seventh. Towson cut the lead to 11 with a solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, and Blowers put a cap on an incredible offensive performance with a two-run double in the eighth.
This is how you set a program record.
— Princeton Baseball (@PUTigerBaseball) March 19, 2022
Nine RBI. Crazy. pic.twitter.com/wZLiOxAXTP
Princeton will look to close out the series with another win, with the bookend set to start on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Hoefer, Eric (1-1)
L: RUSSO,Tyler (0-1)
Batting:
HR: Cumming, Brendan 1 ; Lewis, Nadir 1 ; Scannell, Matt 1 ; DiPietrantonio, Nick 1
RBI: Cumming, Brendan 3 ; Lewis, Nadir 4 ; Granet, Noah 2 ; Scannell, Matt 1 ; Abello, Carlos 2 ; DiPietrantonio, Nick 4 ; Marasheski, Eric 1
SH: Granet, Noah 1 ; Scannell, Matt 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Cumming, Brendan 3 ; Espinel, Alejandro 2 ; Lewis, Nadir 3 ; Granet, Noah 1 ; Scannell, Matt 2 ; Abello, Carlos 2 ; DiPietrantonio, Nick 1 ; Kelly, Jordan 1 ; Shapiro, Caden 2 ; Marasheski, Eric 1
HBP: Espinel, Alejandro 1 ; Vinci, Kyle 1 ; Marasheski, Eric 2
Batting:
3B: DICKERSON,Elijah 1
HR: BECERRA,Danny 1 ; CAMPER,Burke 2
RBI: MOSES,James 2 ; BECERRA,Danny 1 ; YOUNG,Nolan 2 ; CAMPER,Burke 2 ; PEYTON,Jordan 2
Base Running:
RUNS: CASTLEBERRY,Chandler 2 ; BECERRA,Danny 1 ; DICKERSON,Elijah 1 ; YOUNG,Nolan 1 ; FREDERICK,Bryce 1 ; CAMPER,Burke 3 ; MCLAUGHLIN,Jack 1 ; PEYTON,Jordan 1
SB: PEYTON,Jordan 1
