Softball fights through injury-riddled Spring Break against nation's top teams

The softball team expected to be tired after its week-long trip to Tallahassee, Fla. The Tigers (5-11) knew going in that they would face a grueling schedule and play doubleheaders and tripleheaders almost every day. They were hoping that the intense competition would give them a chance to learn to play better as a team.

In Florida, the Tigers found out that injury was their toughest opponent, as player after player got hurt. But despite those injuries, Princeton discovered that it can weather adversity as the Tigers went 3-7 over the week, playing some of the best teams in the nation.

"We needed a chance to play as a team and to get a better feel for how everyone else responds in a game situation," said sophomore pitcher Sarah Jane White, who broke her thumb. "It's something that you can't really get just in practice."

The Tigers won their games against Northern Iowa on March 14, 4-3, versus Iowa State on March 17, 2-1, and closed out the week on a positive note against Troy State on March 18, 4-3.

Princeton also played close games with Florida State and Michigan and had a 10-9 loss to Iowa State in which the Tigers were down 7-3 at one point. All of these efforts gave Princeton confidence.

"We played pretty well and we came out of those matchups knowing that we could compete with the bigger schools," senior pitcher Sarah Peterman said.

The list of injuries and illnesses for the Tigers is long. White broke her thumb, while junior infielder Lauren Poniatowski broke her hand and junior catcher Devon Keefe pulled her quadricep. Numerous other Tigers dealt with other minor ailments throughout the week, which gave many people the chance to play who might not have done so otherwise.

Another key loss was that of sophomore pitcher Dana Freiser, who has mononucleosis. This illness left the job of pitching in the hands of Peterman and sophomore Brie Galicinao for most of the week.

"We had to be a little creative," junior outfielder Lori Volker said. "A lot of people played with injuries, and it's good to know that we could rely on them even if they're not up to par. I think we showed a lot of heart and perseverance in dealing with the injuries."

Comeback

The Tigers came into the Northern Iowa game after losing the first game of a doubleheader. Rallying for two runs in the sixth inning to tie the game and two more in the eighth to win demonstrated Princeton's ability to come from behind.

"We had a lot of situations where we came back from a deficit, and while we didn't win all of them, we proved that we could perform when we need to," said Volker, who hit the game-winning two-run double in the Northern Iowa win.

In their series with Iowa State, the Tigers faced another come-from-behind situation. After losing the first two games to the Cyclones earlier in the week, the Tigers again rallied to top Iowa State, 2-1.

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The game was now in the hands of Galicinao, who was pitching her second complete game of the day due to depletions in the bullpen. It looked like Iowa State might score, but the Tiger defense rallied to preserve the lead thanks to a circus catch by sophomore rightfielder Lizzy Callaway.

In the Troy State win, a pair of suicide squeezes — by Galicinao and Poniatowski — knocked in the eventual winning runs. Although the Lady Trojans threatened to make a comeback, Princeton's defense again saved the day. Freshman centerfielder Jen Neil made a strong throw to gun down Troy State's Tara Michel at the plate to end the game.

In the first loss to FSU, Princeton had a runner on third and was down by one run in the seventh inning. The Tigers were that close to notching another win, but a dominant performance by the Seminole relief pitcher ended their hopes.

Not all of the games played by Princeton had exciting endings, however. One such game was March 17, when the Tigers had only three hits and failed to reach third base in a contest against Georgia Southern. Another ugly loss came in the first game of the Iowa State doubleheader March 13, in which the Cyclones cruised to an 8-3 victory.