“Once we got to two strikes I flipped the coin there,” Walsh said. “I figured it might put a little pressure on him [Stern].”
Now with a runner in scoring position, Kropf had new life. Stern threw another pitch outside, setting up the dramatic ending.
“Once we got Seminara on second base, that might have changed Stern’s approach a little bit,” Walsh said. “He might have aimed the fastball a little bit. He might of thought of throwing the breaking ball, babying it. He was basically careful.”
“I was thinking about the season and the seniors,” Kropf said. “I was trying to keep it alive for them.”
With its season still alive, Harvard must prepare for a three-game series against a well-rested Princeton squad.
The two teams will play a full-length doubleheader on Saturday, and one game on Sunday if necessary. Harvard swept the season series, winning both games at Princeton.
The Tigers are led by their starting rotation, one of the best in the Ivy League. Ross Ohlendorf (6-2, 3.02 ERA) and David Boehle (1-2, 3.73) should both get starts. Princeton also has the best closer in the league in Thomas Pauly (2-2, 1.43, 9 saves.)
The Tigers should have an advantage, having not played since Sunday. With Crockett having pitched on three days rest Wednesday, there is little chance that he will be available to pitch this weekend. That means that senior Justin Nyweide will start game one for the Crimson, and, with no other inning-eating starters, the Crimson will have to rely on its bullpen more than usual for the rest of the series.
The Tigers lack the formidable offense of the Bears, hitting just .279 as a team. Princeton’s offense is led by Adam Balkan (.315, 2 HR, 32 RBI) and Pat Boran (.311, 2, 32.) The Tigers are actually one of the few teams in the Ivy League with less power than the Crimson, hitting a league-worst 10 homers.
Princeton scores by manufacturing runs. The Tigers have four players with double-digit stolen bases, and as a team they have only been thrown out six times in 55 attempts. Given both teams’ struggling offenses, the games should be low-scoring pitcher’s duels.
Resuscitated from the graveyard, the Crimson now face the daunting task of beating the two-time defending Ivy champions without their ace. Yet Wednesday’s classic shows that Harvard has the ability to find improbable ways to win.