Princeton wins 2011 Ivy League Championship; Clinch NCAA Bid

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FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
PRINCETON (5/8/11) – The Princeton baseball team completed its run to the 2011 Ivy League Baseball Championship with an 8-5 win in the third and decisive game of the Ivy League Championship Series on Sunday afternoon at Clarke Field. Steve Harrington drove in three runs and A.J. Goetz provided 4.2 solid innings of relief to pick up the win.

The Tigers never trailed in claiming their 17th league title and first since the 2006 campaign. Princeton scored runs in each of the first four innings and took control of the game for good with a three-run sixth inning after Dartmouth had closed the lead to a run in the fifth inning.

Princeton combined for eight runs on 14 hits while Dartmouth had five runs on 11 hits. John Mishu and Sam Mulroy each had three his for Princeton with Harrington driving in three on two hits. Mulroy and Jonathan York each added two RBIs.

The Tigers scored runs in each of their four at-bats in the win. Mulroy singled in a run in the first and a Harrington double plated a run in the second inning. Princeton left the bases loaded in the second but continued to get good at-bats in the third when it added two more runs to gain a 4-1 lead. In that third Harrington drove in another two runs with his second double of the game.

Dartmouth got another run back in the fourth inning but Princeton answered right back when Mulroy plated a run on a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Princeton led 5-2 after four but Dartmouth got to Princeton starter Kevin Link in the fifth for two runs to trim the lead to 5-4. In that fifth, Chris O’Dowd and Jason Brooks homered back-to-back with one out. The two long balls chased Link from the game and brought in Goetz, who got out of the inning with a grounder and a fly ball.

Goetz put up a zero in the sixth as he got the Big Green in order and Princeton widened the gap in the bottom of the sixth with three runs. Tom Boggiano led off with a bunt single and wound up on third after the throw ended up in the Dartmouth bullpen. He scored on a Mishu sac fly. Mike Ford then walked and Mulroy doubled to set up York, who singled to right center to plate the two runners.

Dartmouth would add a run in the eighth when Brooks led off with his second home run of the game, but Goetz stranded two Dartmouth runners in the eighth and pitched around a lead off single in the ninth as Princeton completed the win.

Goetz went 4.2 innings for the win, allowing one run on four hits while striking out two batters. Link went 4.1 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits. Mitch Horacek took the loss for Dartmouth as he allowed four runs on eight hits in 2.1 innings of work. Mike Dodakian and Ryan Smith also pitched in the loss with each allowing two runs.

Princeton improved to 23-22 overall with the win and will now sit back for nearly a month before the NCAA Baseball Championships begin during the first weekend of June.