The penultimate weekend of Ivy League play saw shifts in the lower part of the division standings. Though Columbia and Dartmouth retained their spots at the top, the other six Ancient Eight teams competed hard this past weekend, setting the stage for some surprising performances and even play.
Yale (9-6, 2nd in Rolfe Division)
at Dartmouth (12-4, 1st in Rolfe Division)
The Bulldogs traveled to Hanover with the division lead in their sights. With dreams of a sweep and overtaking first-place Dartmouth, Yale looked to its pitching staff to carry the team through the four-game set.
The first game on Saturday came down to an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel between each team’s ace. Bulldog starter Brian Irving would best his counterpart, Big Green starter Russell Young, picking up the win with a seven-inning, three-run performance. Young suffered the lesser end of a 5-3 final score despite a complete-game effort in which he pitched eight innings, giving up five runs—four earned—on 12 hits, six strikeouts, and no walks.
Yale would seal the victory in extra innings, as the teams headed into the eighth tied at 3-3. After Chris Sweeney reached on a fielding error by the Dartmouth first baseman, designated hitter Andrew Moore blasted a one-out, two-run homer to left field to give his team the edge.
The second game would see Dartmouth regain its 2 1⁄2 game lead, routing Yale 13-6 to split Saturday’s doubleheader. The Bulldog pitching staff could not get anyone out, starting with Brandon Josselyn. Josselyn made it through just three innings, giving up eight earned runs on 11 hits, two strikeouts, and two walks. His stats inflated in the second inning, when the Big Green scored five runs on six hits and an error, including a two-run single by Michael Pagliarulo through the right side.
Dartmouth had another huge inning in the fourth, scoring six runs off of Yale’s Chris Walsh, who was lifted after serving up a two-run triple to Jason Blydell. Walsh had a horrendous outing, giving up four earned runs on three hits, four wild pitches, and no strikeouts while failing to record a single out.
The two teams would battle equally hard on Sunday, splitting the doubleheader to remain 2 1⁄2 games apart. The first game was an 11-inning affair that saw the Bulldogs finally come out on top 8-7. The eventual winning run was recorded on a two-out solo homerun by second baseman P.J. Gorynski. Sunday’s second game was a completely different story, however, as Dartmouth starter Chase Carpenter shut down Yale’s bats with a complete-game effort. Carpenter gave up one earned run on 11 hits and one strikeout en route to a 7-2 Big Green victory.
Brown (5-11, 4th in Rolfe Division)
at Harvard (7-9 3rd in Rolfe Division)
The Bears headed to Cambridge to take on the struggling Crimson in what looked to be an easy two days of doubleheaders. It wasn’t however, as Brown stumbled out of the gate on Saturday and could not recover, suffering a four-game sweep at the hands of Harvard.
In the series opener, the Crimson found itself down 4-0 after the first inning. The Bears scored quickly in the first, loading the bases on three straight singles and scoring on an RBI double by right fielder Nick Punal. An error by Harvard shortstop Jeff Stoeckel continued the inning, as Brown would score four runs, one unearned, before Harvard would have a chance to bat.
Though the Crimson would pick up a couple of runs, the team was still down 4-2 heading into the bottom of the fifth. That would prove to be the decisive inning, as Harvard scored four runs after two leadoff walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. After Brown starter Anthony Vita managed to get a strikeout for the second out of the inning, he then hit catcher Matt Kramer with a pitch to force in a run. The big blow came next, as third baseman Sean O’Hara turned on an 0-2 pitch, driving it to right center for a bases-clearing double and three RBI.
That chased Vita, who would finish with 4 2/3 innings pitched, giving up six earned runs on six hits and three walks. Harvard’s staff held Brown scoreless for the next two innings, and the team took the first game 6-4.
Saturday’s second game would see much futility at the plate by the Bears, who failed to capitalize on 10 hits and two Crimson errors. Brown scored just three runs in a 7-3 loss, leaving 11 runners on base.
Harvard starter Dan Zailskas would get a no decision despite giving up just one earned run. Zailskas pitched 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs—two unearned—on five hits and two strikeouts.
The Crimson took a 3-0 lead in the third, but it could have been more if not for some sparkling defense by Bears centerfielder Steve Daniels. Daniels saved three runs with a diving catch at the warning track in left center on a drive off of Matt Rogers’ bat to end the inning.
Brown would come back, however, with a three-run inning of its own. With runners on the corners and one out, Zailskas made a high throw on a grounder to the mound that sailed over the head of the first baseman, scoring an earned run and setting up first and second. After striking out the next batter, he then gave up a two-out, two-run triple to J.J. Eno, scoring two unearned runs and chasing him from the game.
Still tied at 3-3, the game headed into the bottom of the seventh, when Harvard’s Taylor Meehan would score the go-ahead run on a double down the right field line. The Crimson added insurance with a two-run eighth inning, scoring on a balk and a two-RBI single by right fielder Jon Roberts, who had come in off the bench earlier to replace Dillon O’Neill.
If Brown thought Sunday would go any better, the team was mistaken, as Harvard pitchers would shut down the opposing lineup. The Crimson outhit the Bears 23-8 on the day, receiving two complete game wins from its starters.
Game one starter Shawn Haviland was on the better end of a 9-3 victory, failing to give up an earned run. In seven innings, Haviland was brilliant, surrendering five hits while striking out eight and walking none. All three runs credited to his line were unearned, the result of five Harvard errors on the day.
Offensively, the Crimson received contributions up and down the lineup, which managed to produce 14 hits. Matt Rogers blasted solo homeruns in two straight innings, while Kramer added four hits en route to a 9-3 victory.
The second game would bring more of the same, as Harvard starter Brad Unger carried a one-hit shutout into the ninth inning. His final line would see him pitch a complete game, giving up two earned runs on three hits and three strikeouts in nine innings. With the 5-2 tally, Unger picked up his second win of the season.
For the second straight game, Kramer contributed at the plate, going 2 for 3 with two RBI. Center fielder Matt Vance also had a big day, hitting safely in two of his four at bats, scoring one run while driving in another. He picked up his RBI on a triple to left center in Harvard’s three-run fifth, when he would score a run as well on Kramer’s RBI double down the left field line.
With the sweep, the Crimson move out of last place in the Rolfe Division for the first time this season. The team sits in third place, two games ahead of the Bears.
Penn (6-9, 3rd in Gehrig Division)
at Princeton (8-8, 2nd in Gehrig Division)
Princeton and Penn split the four-game series in New Jersey, with each team sweeping a doubleheader each day. The Tigers would take the first two behind solid pitching and timely hits.
Saturday was a good day for Princeton, who received a great complete-game effort from starter Brad Gemberling in a 1-0 pitchers’ duel. The second game was just as well-pitched, with Tiger ace Christian Staehely picking up his third win of the season with a 5-2 complete-game victory of his own. In nine innings, he gave up just two earned runs on seven hits, eight strikeouts and one walk.
Unfortunately for Princeton, however, Penn would rebound from a bad Saturday with a good Sunday, sweeping both games of the double header. The Quakers took the first game 10-7 in a game that saw bad pitching on both ends, resulting in 23 total hits. Penn would edge out Princeton in game two as well, winning 5-4 behind a 3 for 4, two-run game by first baseman Kyle Armeny.
Comments
We're looking for comments that are interesting and substantial. If your comments are excessively self-promotional or obnoxious you will be banned from commenting. Consult the comment FAQ and legal terms.