Softball loses 20-inning marathon, drops three of four games

After 19 innings of play, Princeton and Harvard simply could not decide who was the better team on this particular day. In the first game of their doubleheader on Saturday, the Tigers and Crimson were knotted at zero heading into the 20th inning. Princeton looked to have the game won after scoring a run in the top of the 20th, only to have Harvard score two in the bottom half of the inning to win the game.

This contest was part of a disappointing four-game weekend. After beating Dartmouth (7-12 overall, 2-2 Ivy League) 7-0 to open play on Friday, the Tigers dropped three straight games to fall to 16-13 overall and 3-3 in Ivy League play.

In the four-hour affair that was game one against Harvard (14-12-1, 4-0) the two teams combined to strand 29 runners on base. Sophomore pitcher Erin Snyder and Harvard hurler Kara Brotemarkle weren't unhittable, but they were good when they had to be. The Tigers finished with 15 hits, five more than the Crimson.

Two came in the top of the 20th as junior catcher Ty Ries singled up the middle. Junior second baseman Kristin Lueke grounded into a fielder's choice, stole second, advanced to third when senior outfielder Wendy Bingham walked, and came home on a double to center off the bat of freshman outfielder Stephanie Steel.

The Crimson tied the game when Lauren Stefanchik reached on an error and eventually scored on an RBI single by Virginia Fristch. Erin Halpenny drove in the game-winning run with a two-out single.

The Tigers went on to drop the second game 3-0 as their bats once again went silent. The Crimson got off to a fast start, scoring a run in the first and two in the second off junior pitcher Melissa Finley.

The Tigers' offense managed only two hits in the game, both coming off the bat of senior first baseman Kristin Del Calvo. With the loss, Finley dropped to 3-5 on the season.

The Tigers left their bats in Hanover on Friday where they scored seven runs in game one and eight in game two.

Of course in that first contest the Tigers didn't need their offense to explode because Snyder was once again on top of her game. The Tiger ace threw a complete-game shutout. She allowed only two hits, struck out nine batters and also helped out her own cause by going three-for-three at the plate. She scored two runs in the game.

Princeton opened the scoring by tacking four runs on the board in the top of the second. They had six straight hits to begin the inning. Snyder led off the inning with a single through the right side. Del Calvo, sophomore third baseman Amanda Erickson, sophomore shortstop Cristina Cobb-Adams, Ries, and Lueke followed in reaching base.

Princeton tacked on one more run in the fifth when Cobb-Adams led off with a triple. She later came home on a Lueke single. Finley homered in the seventh to provide the final 7-0 margin of victory.

In game two, the Tigers once again jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Unlike the first game, they couldn't hold it.

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Dartmouth began its frantic comeback in the fourth off when Finley was unable to stop the Big Green attack. After loading the bases with two outs, Finley had the chance to escape with no major damage when she faced Kelly Fry. Fry won the matchup as she connected on a three-run double to center. Her teammate, Lauren Folger, brought her home to cut the deficit to 7-4.

In the next inning, the Big Green cut the deficit to 7-6 when Finley was replaced by freshman pitcher Calli Varner. She inherited two runners with no outs in the inning. Jess Reiten scored the tying run on a sacrifice fly before Fry drove in the go-ahead run with a double to right.

Princeton tied the game in the top of the seventh on a home run by Erickson. They then saw Dartmouth win the game in the bottom of that inning on two doubles.

The Tigers will hope to end their three-game losing skid against Towson on Wednesday.