Entering the top half of the eighth inning, the Tigers (21-21, 15-5) found themselves in a 1-1 tie with Cornell but were able to push through with four runs in the inning to take the lead. Those points held up, giving Princeton the game, the best regular season record in the Ivy League and home-field advantage against Dartmouth in the Ivy League championship series.
“We’ve played so many close games this year that I think our guys have become accustomed to playing in one or two run games,” head coach Scott Bradley said. “We’ve played so many games like [the one at Cornell], and I think that will come in very handy in this series.”
On the surface, the Tigers seem to be outmatched in the championship series. Dartmouth is the two-time defending league champion. It has the highest batting average in the league and the lowest ERA. Most notably, it won both its contests against Princeton this season and finished its season on an 11-game win streak for an overall 29-10 record.
The feeling in the Tigers’ locker room, however, is that the Big Green played a weak schedule. Dartmouth has a 24-game home winning streak, but it is an average road team. And in Ivy League play, Princeton boasts a lower ERA than Dartmouth thanks to the work of its two outstanding right-handed starters, freshman Mike Ford and sophomore Zak Hermans.
“The last time I faced [Dartmouth], I went eight and two thirds, no earned runs,” Ford said. The Big Green scored three unearned against the freshman.
“They’re a good hitting team, [but if we] just kind of play our game, I think we’ll be fine,” he added.
Ford, who also batted .296 with 28 RBI as an infielder in his rookie season, will take the hill for the first game of the best-of-three series in order to have a fresh arm. Hermans, the team leader in strikeouts, wins and ERA among starters, will take the mound for the second game of the Saturday doubleheader.
“You’re looking to throw quality strikes as a pitcher, and to change speeds on them,” Hermans said. “You can’t just sit there throwing fastballs all day ... You’ve got to treat it the same. You can’t let your routine or how you’re approaching the hitter change just because you’re playing for the Ivy League championship. You got to do what you know how to do.”
What the Princeton pitching staff knows how to do is keep the Tigers in close games. The team is 12-7 in games decided by two runs or fewer, and Bradley is relying on his pitching staff to stay at its usual high level.
“I think the games are going to play out just like our games have played all year,” Bradley said. “I think the game’s going to be relatively low-scoring, and it’s going to be not how many hits you get, but when you get them.”
Within the locker room, there’s no concern that the hits will come.
“I trust any one of these guys,” sophomore outfielder John Mishu said. “That’s the great thing about this lineup: There are no holes in it.”
Bradley said he is “extremely” confident the Tigers can knock off the defending champs, and Mishu says the Tigers “haven’t even thought about losing.”
The confidence level is high. So is the level of excitement about playing for the title in front of the home fans at Clarke Field.
“We’re expecting, hopefully, a big turnout from the fans this weekend,” Hermans said. “We want them to be loud and rowdy.”
Follow @PrinceSports on Twitter for live updates from the Ivy League Championship Series throughout the weekend!
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