April 10, 2006

Game One Box Score |  Game Two Box Score |  Photo Gallery

WEST HAVEN, Conn. - Junior Marc Sawyer (Largo, Fla.) picked up four hits and drove in the winning run in the first game as the Bulldogs split a twin bill with the Princeton Tigers. Yale took the opener 4-3 while the Tigers won 5-3 in the nightcap.

Sawyer extended his hitting streak to 18 games and Brett Rosenthal (Irving, Texas) tied a single-season mark, picking up his eighth save.

The Bulldogs got things rolling in the first game, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning to go up 2-0.

With John Janco (Cannonsburg, Pa.) on first base, Pedro Obregon (Miami, Fla.) sent a clean single to right. Rightfielder Andrew Salini couldn't field it cleanly and the ball rolled into the corner. Janco scored easily from first and Obregon pulled into third on the error. Dan Soltman (Evanston, Ill.) followed with a sacrifice fly to plate Obregon.

Bulldog starter John Hollis (Jacksonville, Fla.) gave up a pair in the third inning on RBI singles from Dan DeGeorge and Zach Wendkos. He recovered to hold Princeton for the duration of his start, striking out five in five innings.

The Elis reclaimed the lead at 3-2 in the fourth. Ryan Lavarnway (Woodland Hills, Calif.) opened the inning with a double over the third-base bag and was promptly moved to third on Janco's second hit of the game. Lavarnway then scored on a sacrifice fly by Eric Rasmussesn (Brewster, Mass.) to put the Bulldogs back on top.

Yale extended the lead with what became the game-winning run in the fifth.

After P.J. Gorynski (Queens, N.Y.) doubled to open the frame, Sawyer lifted a 1-2 pitch into centerfield bringing Gorynski around to score to give Yale a two-run cushion at 4-2. The hit extended Sawyer's streak to 17 games at the time; he was held hitless in his first two at bats.

That run would prove crucial as the Tigers would crawl back into the game in the seventh inning. With Matt Fealey (Queens, N.Y.) on in relief of Hollis, Princeton made a charge.

Derek Beckman reached on an error to open the inning and was immediately doubled home by DeGeorge. Aaron Prince sacrificed DeGeorge over to third, bringing up Salini, the Ivy League's leading home run hitter.

Southpaw Adam Barrick (Freeport, N.Y.) was brought in for the lefty-lefty match-up and the move paid dividends as he struck out Salini, the third time he fanned in the game.

Rosenthal was then called on to nail it down, which he did by getting the last batter on an easy grounder to third.

Game two was a different story, however, as Princeton drew first blood off of Chris Wietlispach (Crystal Lake, Ill.), by plating a pair in the first.

The Bulldogs did respond in the bottom of the frame, knotting the contest at 2-2 thanks to a bases-loaded walk to Janco and a sacrifice fly from Jake Doyle (Wilmington, Del.).

The contest remained deadlocked until the sixth inning when the Tigers went ahead on an unearned run. DeGeorge reached on an error and was moved along to second by a bunt single from Prince. Both runners advanced on a balk by Wietlispach before Sal Iacono drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI groundout.

The Tigers plated two more in the seventh with Iacono once again doing the damage. This time the third baseman smacked a two-run double off of John Henry Davis (Southbridge, Mass.) to put Princeton up 5-3.

Yale attempted to rally in the eighth inning, scoring a run on a Doyle base hit. But with two runners on, Tiger reliever Steven Miller got Lavarnway to fly out to left to end the threat. He would retire the Bulldogs in order in the ninth to pick up the save.

Yale is 17-12 (6-2 Ivy) after the split and Princeton moves to 5-19-1 (1-7 Ivy).

The Bulldogs return to action on Wed., April 12, hosting the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a 3 p.m. doubleheader.