Two Game-Winning Hits For Baldwin

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – With only five games remaining in the 150^th baseball season, the Yale baseball team earned two trademark wins over arch rival Harvard on Sunday, winning two close games against the Crimson and getting back in the win column in Ivy League play.

The Bulldogs (12-21, 4-12 Ivy) won two nail-biting games, 4-2 and 2-1, due in large part to the phenomenal pitching of starters Chasen Ford and Eric Brodkowitz, while capitalizing off the clutch-hitting of senior Robert Baldwin (Austin, Texas).

Despite being out of postseason contention, the Elis refused to quit in either game, and with the wins, eliminated Harvard from the playoff race as well.

"A team like ours, even if we're out of the playoff race, just won't quit. Look what they did today. They played two tough, hard-earned games today," said Yale head coach, John Stuper. "We have missed Robert Baldwin for most of the season, and he had the two game-winning hits today."

"I'm just really, really proud of the way our guys approached these games. Harvard has a good team and we earned these wins," added Stuper. "The pitching of Ford and Brodkowitz, that's a sophomore and a freshman…I think the future's bright for Yale baseball."

Game 1

A clutch two-run double by Robert Baldwin with two outs in the top of the tenth inning was the game-winning hit for the Bulldogs in a thrilling 4-2 extra-inning victory, but was just one way in which Yale won Sunday's first game.

In arguably the strongest pitching and defensive performances of the season for the Elis, it took a full 10-inning effort, loaded with big-time pitching and miraculous catches in the outfield, to put away the Crimson.

Starting pitcher Chasen Ford (Lake Forest, Calif.) was masterful in 7.2 innings on the hill, allowing two runs, only one earned, and three hits in his outing. He did not face more than four batters in an inning, confusing Harvard hitters all game.

"We needed something to get us going, and I felt pretty comfortable out there," said Ford, who didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning. "The approach is the same, even in a close game. You try to pound the zone and make the defense work."

Freshman Mason Kukowski (Katy, Texas) pitched 2.1 innings in relief of Ford, working out of several jams to keep the score tied in crunch time.

"They kept their fast balls low in the zone and hit their locations really well today," said Baldwin, who caught for both Ford and Kukowski during the game.

Senior Green Campbell (Shreveport, La.) was 2-for-5 at the plate with an RBI for the Bulldogs, while playing a stellar center field. Campbell made an acrobatic catch in the eighth inning, tracking it down just feet away from the fence and robbing the Crimson of extra bases.

"They were both outstanding," said Campbell of Ford and Kukowski. "They were getting the leadoff guy out in most innings, which was huge. That way if one guys gets on, they can't bunt him over or anything. They had a lot of success by getting the first guy out."

Senior captain David Toups (Houston, Texas) made two diving catches in right field in the fifth and sixth innings, keeping the Yale deficit at 2-1 in that time.

"It was up there, we played really well defensively," said Campbell when ranking Yale's defense in game one against the rest of the season. "I think it's easier to play good defense when it's a close game because your adrenaline is flowing and you're more keyed in."

Sophomore Harrison White (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and junior Nate Adams (St. Louis, Mo.) each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Senior Eric Hsieh (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) went 1-for-3 with a double for the Elis.

As Baldwin came up to the plate with two outs and two runners on base in the tenth inning, he had the odds against him. Bulldog hitters were 1-for-19 with runners on base before Baldwin's at-bat.

The Bulldog senior ripped a deep double to center field off Harvard pitcher Tanner Anderson, scoring White and Hsieh, and giving Yale a 4-2 lead. It was Baldwin's only hit of the game, going 1-for-5 at the dish.

"It was a fun game and it was good to be back behind the plate. The hit was just bonus points," said Baldwin after the game.

Kukowski put the Bulldogs in a position to win, holding Harvard scoreless in the ninth inning, despite the Crimson having the game-winning runner on third with one out. The freshman recorded a strikeout, followed by a fly-out, to end the threat.

Trailing 2-1 in the seventh inning, Adams hit a single to right, advancing to third base on a fielding error by Harvard. Two batters later, Adams scored on a wild pitch by Anderson to tie the game.

Campbell delivered an RBI single in the third inning, producing Yale's first run of the game. Senior Joe Lubanski (Collegeville, Pa.) added a hit in the win for the Bulldogs.

Game 2

Behind a two-run home run by Baldwin and a complete-game win for Brodkowitz, the Bulldogs defeated the Crimson in a 2-1 battle, as the Yale hurler stranded 12 Harvard runners in the game.

In what was Brodkowitz's most dominant outing of the season, he allowed just one run while scattering 12 hits and striking out four to earn his third win of the season. After Harvard scored a run in the first inning, the Yale freshman did not allow a run in the remainder of the game.

Despite being out-hit by Harvard, 12 to five, it was Baldwin's hit in the seventh inning that had the final say. The senior catcher crushed a pitch way over the left-center field fence off Crimson starter, Ian Miller, to give Yale a 2-1 lead. It was the first home run of the season for Baldwin.

"I like wins, so I was a fan," said Brodkowitz with a smile on his face after the game when talking about Baldwin's shot. With four RBI on Sunday, Baldwin now has 17 total on the season, a team-best despite missing 13 games due to injury.

It took a while for the Elis to figure out Miller, who did not surrender a hit to Yale until a single by Toups in the fifth inning ruined his perfection. The Bulldogs recorded only five hits, but that's all they needed with Brodkowitz cruising on the mound.

"I got more comfortable as the game went on and my defense was making a lot of plays for me," said Brodkowitz of his performance. "I just wanted to throw strikes and pound the lower part of the zone."

The Yale freshman consistently worked himself out of trouble, rendering mute the 12 Harvard hits and keeping the deficit at 1-0, the score Yale trailed by for the first seven innings.

"I focus a little extra and zone-in when runners are on base. Stranding runners is one of the best things about pitching, it really helps get you out of jams," said Brodkowitz.

Toups, Baldwin, Hsieh, Campbell and sophomore Derek Brown (Houston, Texas) had the five hits for the Bulldogs. Brown also played a solid shortstop, turning a double-play in the second inning when Harvard had the bases loaded and one out.

In a defensive-minded game, the only runs came on Baldwin's two-run blast and an RBI single by Harvard's Ethan Ferreira in the first inning off Brodkowitz.

Brodkowitz and the Yale defense worked out of two bases-loaded situations throughout the game, while also retiring the Crimson hitters in order in the seventh and eighth innings, on their way to the victory and a four-game split with Harvard this weekend.

The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday at home against Wesleyan, which will mark the 150th anniversary of the first time the two teams played back in 1865. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity