Having dropped three of their last four Ivy League games, the softball team stood like a wavering army, seeing their hopes of a third consecutive Ivy League championship about to disappear in a rout. But this weekend the Tigers rallied in the friendly confines of 1895 Field to win three of four and place themselves right back into title contention.
The Tigers (19-14 overall, 6-4 Ivy League) swept Brown (10-15, 3-3) on Saturday by scores of 2-1 and 1-0. Princeton then split with Yale (24-16, 6-2), dropping the first game 1-0 before winning the second 5-3.
The Tigers now find themselves in third place in the league behind Yale and Harvard, which lost three of four last weekend to fall to 5-3 in the league.
"This weekend was huge in terms of the Ivies," freshman third basemen Tiffany Andras said. "It will definitely be interesting to see where the Ivy League will stand at the end of the season."
Against the Bears, the superb Tiger pitching managed to completely shut down a potent Brown offense.
In the first game, sophomore pitcher Erin Snyder allowed only four hits to earn the complete-game win. She improved to 9-8 on the season.
The Tigers jumped on the Bears early, scoring in the bottom of the first. Junior second baseman Kristin Lueke led off the inning with a walk, and was later driven in by Snyder's RBI single to center.
But the Bears roared back in the top of third when shortstop Mary Seid hit a single, and then advanced to third on a fielder's choice and a wild pitch. Catcher Jamie Wirkowski then drove her in with a single. That would prove, however, to be Brown's only run of the day.
The Tigers then scored the game winner in the bottom of the fifth, when freshman rightfielder Stephanie Steel singled to drive in junior catcher Ty Ries, who had reached on a walk.
In the second game, junior pitcher Melissa Finley allowed the Bears to witness just what dominance is. She scattered three hits over seven innings to earn the shutout victory, improving to 4-5 on the season.
But the score was tied in the bottom of the seventh, forcing the Tigers to prove their mettle. Sophomore third baseman Amanda Erickson auspiciously led off the inning with a double. Freshman Tiffany Wilson came in to pinch run, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore shortstop Cristina Cobb-Adams. After Ries walked and stole second, senior leftfielder Wendy Bingham casually strolled to the plate and drilled a walk-off single past the shortstop.
Elated after the two close wins, the Tigers hoped to use their momentum to crush the Elis and reestablish their Ivy League dominance.
Alas, a weekend sweep would prove just out of reach for the Tigers. In the first game, despite an 11 strikeout performance by Snyder, the Tiger offense failed to produce. Eli pitcher Peggy Hunt allowed only five scattered hits to earn the win and improve to 11-2 with a 0.58 ERA. Snyder fell to 9-9.
The game's only run came in the top of the fifth, when Eli shortstop Leah Kelly reached with two outs on a bunt single. She then showed the speed of a cheetah, stealing second and third. Designated hitter Beth Pavlicek drove her in with a suicide squeeze bunt single that put the Elis up for good.
But the story of the second game was Finley, who performed for the Tigers both on the mound and with the bat.
Finley earned the win for Princeton, allowing only three runs and improving to 5-5.
At the plate, in addition to scoring three runs, she hit her sixth home run of the season to tie the game at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth.
"We were disappointed about dropping the first game to Yale," Andras said, "but Finley's game-tying homerun in game two really got our momentum back."
Yale struck first, scoring in the top of the first. But Princeton immediately answered, as Snyder drove in Finley, who had walked, with a single.
Yale unleashed an offensive barrage in the third, but only managed to score one run, leaving the bases loaded.
After Finley's homer tied the game, the tenacious Elis scored in the fifth on two hits and a sac fly.
The Tigers replied in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good. Senior first baseman Kristin Del Calvo singled, and Wilson came in again to pinch run. She scored on a single by Bingham, who subsequently scored on a towering double to right by Steel.
Princeton finished up the scoring in the fifth, as Del Calvo singled to score Finley, who had been hit by a pitch.
The Tigers will continue their homestand against Seton Hall on Thursday, before hosting Cornell and Columbia in the final Ivy League doubleheaders this weekend.
Princeton absolutely must win the rest of their League games, and they will still need some help to win the Ivies this year. But if either Yale or Harvard falters this year, they could see their hopes of Ivy League glory dissapear in the wake of the surging Tigers.
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