Take a moment to imagine you are a batter for the Princeton Tigers stepping up to the plate at Tommy Lasorda Field at Meiklejohn Stadium on Sunday, April 9. You take a deep breath, close your eyes, and sophomore right-handed pitcher Ryan Dromboski has already gotten his first pitch by you. Strike one.
That was a familiar scenario for many of Princeton’s hitters on that spring afternoon, a game where Dromboski was borderline unhittable. The right-hander set a new program record with 15 strikeouts, and allowed just three hits on a day when the Quakers needed it most. The 5-2 victory gave the Red and Blue the series win over Princeton, and sparked a run that has since carried them to first in Ivy League standings.
From a wicked fastball to his patented slider, every pitch was working for the player known best as “Drombo.” Outside of the two home runs allowed in the third inning, Dromboski plowed through the lineup with ferocity and efficiency — finishing the day with four 1-2-3 innings. Penn held a slim 3-2 lead for much of the contest, but Dromboski’s masterclass on the mound helped maintain that lead long enough for the Quaker bats to awaken. Junior third baseman Wyatt Henseler filled that role, blasting a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to extend Penn’s advantage, ultimately one they would not relinquish.
Dromboski is currently second in the Ivy League in both strikeouts (69) and ERA (2.37). He followed up his performance against the Tigers with 12 strikeouts the following weekend against Brown, only further proving that his pitching will be critical to the Quakers’ Ivy League championship hopes this year. But regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, Dromboski’s performance against the Tigers will remain one for the record books.
Read about the rest of DP Sports' End of the Year Awards for the 2022-23 season here.
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