The softball team traveled to the nation's heartland last weekend and emerged with a four game split at the Kansas Invitational tournament.
Princeton (4-2) split a pair of games with Portland State and defeated Indiana State in the three-game tournament. The Tigers' second loss was to Kansas.
Princeton opened the tournament on Friday with a 3-2 win over Portland State. The Tigers got solid pitching from freshman pitcher Melissa Finley. She threw a complete game in her first collegiate game on the mound.
"Finley did an incredible job," freshman catcher/DH Lauren Palmer said. "She hadn't started a game yet and she went out there and tore it up."
Coach Maureen Davies '97 expected good things from this year's freshman class and has gotten what she expected so far.
Senior pitcher Brie Galicinao, the Tigers' offensive leader, was the star, going 3-4 with 2 RBI.
Galicinao is coming off her best season in college. She was the first person in the history of the Ivy League to win the Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year awards in the same year. She led the team several important offensive categories, including batting average (.364), home runs (six), and RBI (29). She also posted a miniscule 0.64 ERA in 142.1 innings, making her one of the top ten pitchers in the nation. To top it off, she pitched a perfect game against rival Penn for the second year in a row.
Galicinao drove in what turned out to be the winning runs against Portland State with a two-out single to right field in the top of the fifth inning. Princeton then withstood a rally in the bottom half of the inning in which Portland State put two runs on the board. The Tigers other run came in the second inning when freshman infielder Becky Nemec doubled to center and came home one batter later on a throwing error.
The Tigers' offense abandoned them in the afternoon game against Kansas, as the Jayhawks rolled to a 3-0 win. Galicinao gave up three runs in a complete game loss. Sophomore infielder Kristin Del Calvo was the lone offensive spark, going 2-3. Princeton managed only five hits off Kansas' Kara Pierce.
Sunday the Tigers played another doubleheader, opening against Indiana State. Princeton posted a 6-2 win. Sophomore hurler Wendy Bingham struck out five and walked only two to get the win.
Senior shortstop Kim Veenstra led the offense with three RBIs while going 2-3 on the day. The Tigers opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning. Galicinao, Veenstra, and Del Calvo delivered three consecutive RBI hits. After Indiana State closed the gap to 3-2 with two runs in the fifth, Princeton responded with another three-run burst in the bottom half of the inning. Veenstra delivered a two-out triple that scored two runs. She later scored on a wild pitch.
The last game of the weekend was the second game against Portland State. Unlike last time, Princeton found itself behind in a tight game, eventually falling 3-1.
Galicinao was on the mound again for the Tigers. She threw a complete game but surrendered three runs in a losing effort. She fell to 1-2 on the season. Portland State scored first with two runs in the top of the fifth.
Princeton responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but was unable to get any more.
The Tigers will enjoy one week off before they head to Georgia for a ten-game set over spring break.
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