Snyder hurls perfect game

In an afternoon that featured back-to-back home runs, a perfect game and many firsts, the softball team swept Fairfield in a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Class of 1895 Field. The Tigers (17-7 overall) were led by big performances both offensively and on the mound to continue their winning ways.

In the first game of the afternoon, junior pitcher Erin Snyder continued her on-the-mound success with a perfect game in a shortened five innings. Over five innings of play, she struck out 10 and kept the Stags' bats completely silent. Snyder's earned run average is currently 0.86, even better than her reputable 1.61 from last season.

This marks the first perfect game of Snyder's career, an impressive addition to an already stellar season. In this same game, Snyder moved into second place on the all-time strikeout list with 442 strikeouts, with still a year's play to chase the all-time record of 596 set by Maureen E. Davies '97 — better known as head coach Maureen Barron, these days.

"Her problems last year were mental, and she had to struggle last year with an injury," Barron said, adding that Snyder has also been working with a different pitch, the screwball, which has been helping her in recent games.

On the other extreme, Princeton also posted great numbers offensively, including back-to-back shots by junior shortstop Christina Cobb-Adams and sophomore pitcher Calli Varner. Varner started the onslaught with a two-run homer on a three-ball, two-strike count, and Cobb-Adams followed it up with another shot. Cobb-Adams ended up with two home runs in the game, her first and second of the season.

"Our offense has come together," Barron said, adding that continued production will be critical as the Tigers move into their Ivy League schedule.

No cushion

In the second game, there was no cushion of a perfect game to bail Princeton out of a jam late in the seventh. It came down to the last pitch, and, fortunately for the Tigers, they held on for the win.

Princeton jumped out early to a 4-0 lead with a grand slam in the second inning by sophomore outfielder Tiffany Andras — the first grand slam of her career and her first home run of the season. Freshman pitcher Kristen Schaus was in command of the game until one mistake led to a home run in the third inning by Fairfield designated hitter Cagney Ringnalda. Schaus settled down after that and pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth.

Barron made a pitching change in the bottom of the sixth, bringing in senior pitcher Melissa Finley to save the game. Fairfield's long-overdue bats hit hard and struck back with another pair of back-to-back home runs by catcher Shannon Logan and third baseman Breanne Morschauser to bring Fairfield back to within one, 6-5. But Finley recorded a big strikeout on an off-speed pitch and was able to retire the side to get out of the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Fairfield threatened again by putting two runners on with one out. Cobb-Adams fielded a sharp hit and made a forced out on the runner going to third, taking a hard hit from the runner en route to third base. Cobb-Adams, who went 4-4 at the plate in the doubleheader, was definitely one of the deciding factors in the Tigers' success.

Schaus came back into the game to close out the inning. Nothing would come easy for the Tigers, who faced a bases-loaded jam with two outs, as Fairfield catcher Shannon Logan would work the count to 3-2 before flying out to left field to end the game.

"The lineup is constantly changing," Barron said, noting that the Tigers are lucky to have a lot of depth this year — despite having a small team — because of their athletic pitchers. This helps the versatility in the team and allows them to play the right players in the right situations.

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The Tigers will continue their home stand with a doubleheader against Penn this Saturday and then a doubleheader against Temple in Philadelphia to finish off the weekend.