Softball starts strong, closes poorly in 10-game swing out West

Over Spring Break the softball team traveled to the Golden State to take on 10 top collegiate competitors.

Princeton opened its week of play at the Riverside Tournament. The Tigers logged an impressive first day of games, defeating Canisius and then University of San Diego, 9-1 and 3-0, respectively.

Against Canisius, the Tigers jumped out to an early lead in the second inning off runs from senior outfielder Wendy Bingham and sophomore infielder Lindsay Motal. From there, the Princeton lead just kept on growing as the Tigers, helped along by junior Melissa Finley's 11 strikeouts, built a strong eight-run margin of victory.

Later that day, Princeton jump-started its offense even earlier, scoring all three of its runs against San Diego in the first inning of the game. Sophomore Erin Snyder logged her second shutout of the season as the Tigers held off the Toreros for the rest of the game and came out with the 3-0 win.

Princeton split the following day's games, beating the host team Riverside in their first match, 4-3. Scoring all four of their runs in the third inning, the Tigers narrowly held on to their lead as the Highlanders scored three runs in the seventh inning.

In the championship game, Princeton again faced San Diego but was unable to follow precedent with another win. In this 1-0 loss, the Toreros scored off a solo homer in the fourth inning for the go-ahead run. Princeton nearly recovered the lead, loading the bases at the bottom of the fifth, but fell victim to a double play and ended the game without scoring.

Princeton again started off strong against Cal State on its first day in Fullerton, Calif. Winning by a score of 4-3, Princeton got 10 hits against the Titans after averaging less than five in its first nine games. The Tigers started off with a deficit, giving up two runs in the first inning, but pulled out a win built mainly off senior first baseman Kristin Del Calvo's three-run homer in the top of the third.

Princeton chalked up a more substantial victory on Wednesday as it bolstered its winning record, defeating No. 13 Pacific, 3-2, in the opening game of the Kia Klassic tournament. Working off offense supplied by Finley's three-run homer in the third inning, the Tigers held on to their lead despite a rally from Pacific in which they scored a run in both the sixth and seventh.

Against Texas A&M the following day, the Tigers gave up three runs early on in the first inning. The Aggies went on to double their lead, scoring two more in the fifth and one in the sixth, while Princeton was unable to generate any sort of offensive response, logging only four hits during this 6-0 defeat.

On Friday, the Tigers faced both No. 9 Washington and No. 10 Louisiana-Lafayette. In their first game against Washington, Princeton fell victim to its own lack of focus, committing four errors during the Huskies' scoring innings. Two errors led to two quick runs in the fourth, and Washington picked up two more late runs for a 4-0 win.

The Tigers' game against the No. 10 Ragin' Cajuns went just as badly, as Princeton managed only two hits in the entire game. Princeton's struggling offensive effort, combined with seven runs ceded to Louisiana-Lafayette, meant a 7-0 Tiger loss.

In its final game of the break, Princeton took on Nevada-Las Vegas in the tournament consolation matchup. Despite their 10 hits, however, the Tigers could come up with only one run off sophomore shortstop Cristina Cobb-Adams' lone score in the seventh and gave up four to the Rebels to end the week with a 4-1 loss.