Baseball: After losing 3 of 4, Tigers need sweep to return to ILCS

Sophomore pitcher Mike Ford got off to a rough start Friday, allowing two runs in the first inning. However, he recovered well, keeping Columbia quiet for the next four innings and relying on his defense to get the outs when the Lions put the ball in play.

Columbia added two insurance runs in the sixth, but Lions starter Pat Lowery did not need any insurance. He kept the Tigers scoreless through six innings, getting out of two bases-loaded jams. Princeton scored its only run on a ground ball by junior shortstop Matt Bowman in the top of the last inning after Lowery had been replaced by Harrison Slutsky, who struck out two Tigers in the last inning to seal Columbia’s 4-1 victory. Lowery allowed just two hits, but Princeton got plenty of base runners off of errors and walks, stranding eight in seven innings.

“He was just on his game,” junior pitcher Zak Hermans said of Lowery. “We had a couple chances with the bases loaded. We just weren’t able to get the hit when we needed it.”

In the nightcap, both pitchers again got off to a good start, as neither allowed a hit until senior center fielder Sam Mulroy’s single in the top of the fourth. Columbia was the first team to score, plating two runs with a double from Nick Ferraresi. The inning looked like it might go from bad to worse, but Hermans avoided further damage when a ground ball to sophomore second baseman Alec Keller resulted in a double play.

Hermans stayed in for four more innings without giving up a run and recorded six strikeouts over eight innings.

The Tigers cut into the Lions’ lead in their next at-bat, when sophomore designated hitter Ryan Albert doubled to score junior Steve Harrington from third. They took the lead in the next inning, when junior right fielder John Mishu knocked in Bowman on a double to left field and scored on a single from Ford.

With Hermans looking more comfortable than ever on the mound, the Tigers maintained the lead for the rest of the game, adding two runs on Harrington’s second double of the game. Senior Ryan Makis closed the game with a perfect ninth inning, and the Tigers evened the series.

Saturday’s first game was an offensive shootout. The Tigers scored three runs in the first inning, taking advantage of three Columbia errors. Not to be outdone, the Lions knocked Bowman around in the bottom of the inning, hitting five doubles and tallying four runs. They added another run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the next inning.

After freshman first baseman Tyler Servais, who went 3 for 3 in the game, drove in Mulroy with a single in the top of the third, the lead remained one run after the fourth and fifth innings. Mishu tied the score with a two-out RBI single, and freshman shortstop Blake Thomsen gave Princeton its first lead of the game in the top of the seventh, knocking in a run with a double.

In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Michael Fagan was called upon to protect the one-run lead. Unfortunately for the visitors, Fagan had issues with his control. After two walks, he allowed a run on a single up the middle from Billy Rumpke, though Mishu threw out the potential winning runner at the plate. Columbia loaded the bases again with two outs, and a wild pitch scored the winning run, much to the delight of the crowd at Columbia Baseball Homecoming Day.

After the comeback loss that had nearly been a comeback victory, Princeton gave an underwhelming performance in Saturday’s second game. Junior pitcher Kevin Link gave up five runs in the first three innings, while the Tigers scored two on Harrington’s sacrifice fly and single. Both starters settled down as the game went on, but the Tigers pulled within one run in the sixth, when Servais hit a leadoff homer and Keller scored during a rundown.

Link departed after six innings and Columbia broke Princeton’s backs in the seventh. The Lions got to sophomore A.J. Goetz for three runs, two of which came on a Nick Crucet double. Senior third baseman Andrew Whitener plated a run in the next frame, and freshman Nick Donatiello held the Lions scoreless in the bottom of the inning, but the damage had been done. Princeton fell to Columbia 8-5, losing its first Ivy League series of the season.

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“That’s a tough way to lose,” Hermans said. “Usually we’ve been able to get that last win on the weekend.”

Saturday’s losses marked the first time this season that the Tigers dropped consecutive Ivy League games. Despite losing the series, Princeton is ahead of Columbia in the Gehrig Division standings, but Cornell is still the team to beat. The Big Red took three of four games from Penn this weekend, eliminating the Lions and Quakers from championsihp contention.

The events of this weekend make Princeton’s upcoming series with Cornell decisive. Down by three games, the Tigers must sweep the Big Red to win the division.

“The good thing is, even after this weekend, we still control our destiny,” Hermans said. “There’s not any room for error, but we’ve got the chance.”

Cornell will host the Tigers for two games on Friday, then the teams will have a day off before the Big Red travels to Princeton for the final two games of the regular season.