Princeton softball has dominated Penn more than it has dominated any other program.
In 1983, in just the second meting ever between Princeton and Penn in softball, the Tigers beat up on the Quakers in a 20-0 romp.
Moreover, in nearly 40 meetings between the two schools, Penn has won just twice.
In the past two seasons alone, senior pitcher and reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Brie Galicinao has thrown two perfect games against this conference foe.
So it wasn't much of a surprise when Princeton swept Penn this weekend in Philadelphia, defeating the Quakers, 2-0 and 4-2, in games that only continued Princeton's 20-year domination.
Princeton's pair of two-run victories were a departure from the blowouts the Tigers have dealt Penn in the past, but nevertheless reflected a domination seen time and time again.
"I think we're just a better team than they are," junior outfielder Jen Neil said of the recent domination.
In the first game of the doubleheader, a duo of seniors teamed up for the win.
Senior shortstop Kim Veenstra gave the Tigers a 2-0 lead — a lead which they would not relinquish — in the third inning when she belted a home run over the left field fence.
Galicinao, on first after reaching on a fielder's choice, crossed home off of Veenstra's hit.
Galicinao, who has dominated Penn from atop the mound in the past, continued the trend by holding the Quakers to four hits and no runs.
Galicinao struck out eight, and preserved the win despite Penn putting runners on first and second with one out in the game's final inning.
"I'm always confident with Brie on the mound," Neil said.
"There were some pretty intense moments, but Brie's great under pressure. I never doubted her once."
The second game, a 4-2 victory for Princeton, was much like the first.
Princeton got out to an early 3-0 lead in the third inning when a Galicinao single scored junior outfielder Jen Neil and freshman infielder Kristin Lueke. Freshman infielder Becky Nemec's single then scored Galicinao. A Galicinao double the next inning put Princeton up 4-2.
Sophomore pitcher Wendy Bingham, on the mound for the Tigers in the nightcap, was the winning pitcher, striking out four while giving up six hits.
The Quakers scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth yet could not tie the game in the seventh and final inning.
The wins, Princeton's first Ivy League wins of the season, improve Princeton's record to 12-12.
The wins also kept alive the Tigers complete and utter domination of the Quakers in softball. In the 39 meetings between the two teams played since the inception of Ivy League softball in 1980, Princeton has won 37 times and lost just twice. The most recent loss was in 2000. That weekend, Penn defeated Princeton in the opening game of a doubleheader — in the nightcap, Galicinao pitched her first of two perfect games against the Quakers. The other perfect game came last season.
The Tigers match up against Villanova this Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in Villanova, Pa. while hosting Columbia and Cornell next weekend.
Princeton faces off against Columbia on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m., while facing Cornell in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at noon.
"We could have played better," Neil said. "But we came out with two wins. A win is a win."
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