Sunday afternoon, 22 games into the season, softball finally completed its climb towards .500, surpassing the critical mark for the first time all season. More importantly, the Tigers made sure there would be no similar ditch to climb out of in the Ivy League.
Princeton (11-10-1 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) opened its Ivy season with two nail-biting victories over Penn (6-15-1, 0-2) at Class of 1895 Field. Over the course of a week, the team played six games — each was decided by a mere run or less.
The Tigers got off to a fast start in game one of the double header against Penn, putting two runs on the board in the first inning. Following walks to sophomore second baseman Kristin Lueke and freshman shortstop Christina Cobb-Adams, freshman pitcher Erin Snyder made Quaker pitcher Nicki Borgstadt pay for handing out the free passes. Snyder's two-out double scored both runners for a 2-0 lead.
In control from the rubber
Once she staked herself to a lead, Snyder dominated Penn from the rubber. Over the first six innings, the rookie hurler allowed just two Quakers to reach base safely. She finished the game with 11 strikeouts, bringing her season total to 99 in just 74 innings of work, and lowered her ERA to 3.04.
The middle of the Penn lineup ruined her masterful shutout, however, in the top of the seventh. After Snyder hit Crista Farrell with a pitch, the next two Quakers to come to the plate both doubled, knotting the game at two.
Rather than panic, Princeton put together its third game-winning rally of the week. Senior rightfielder Erin Valocsik and junior centerfielder Wendy Bingham both singled to start off the inning. Lueke then followed with an infield single to the shortstop, bringing home the winning run for the 3-2 victory.
The second game of the twin-bill was also dominated by one player, both offensively and from the field. Again it was the Princeton pitcher who controlled play — this time sophomore Melissa Finley played the hero's role.
Finley started the scoring with a home run in the third, her team-leading fifth of the season. Additionally, her .383 batting average, .479 on-base percentage, and Ruthian .750 slugging percentage all lead the team.
Penn's rightfielder, Erin O'Brien, responded in the fourth with a solo home run of her own, evening the game. Over the next two innings, however, Princeton regained its comfortable control.
First, in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore third base Ty Ries singled and Lueke reached base on a misplayed bunt, putting runners at second and third. Cobb-Adams' subsequent single up the middle scored both runners to give the Tigers the lead.
Princeton added an insurance run in the fifth when Finley walked and later scored on a double by freshman catcher Amanda Erickson.
Finley would need the entire cushion. Penn scored two runs in the sixth, but wasn't able to tie it. With the 4-3 victory, Finley improved to 3-3 on the year.
The Tigers now shift their focus from salvaging a disappointing record to maintaining a perfect one. Their clutch performances under pressure bode well for the rest of the season – three of their four one-run victories came on game-winning base hits. Still, the fact that they needed such heroics against weaker teams is somewhat disturbing.
"Obviously we'd like to blow everyone away," Erickson said, "but its great to prove our tenacity, show we can comeback and never give up and die."
Beyond the continued trend of winning tight games, this weekend also provided further proof that the freshmen on the team are adjusting to college competition and fully ready to contribute during the Ivy League season.
Most importantly, Snyder has proven she can be counted on as the team's ace. Her .326 batting average and eight RBI come as an added bonus. Meanwhile, Cobb-Adams and Erickson have begun to find their grooves at the plate and in the field. Erickson's .277 batting average and .489 slugging percentage place her third on the team in both categories.
"There's more of a comfort factor now that we have games under our belt," Erickson said.
Towson (11-14-1) hosts Princeton on Wednesday for one last non-conference tuneup. The team then resumes its league schedule with weekend double headers against Brown (9-12) and Yale (10-16). The favored Tigers cannot afford to drop a game to either team as they fight for the league title.
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