Tigers, Lions play 24 innings, score two runs

It was an extended weekend for the Tigers (24-9 overall; 5-1 Ivy League) as they took on both Columbia (14-18 overall, 1-1) and Cornell (16-13, 2-2) in tough doubleheaders. The Tigers pulled out a split in a doubleheader that extended over 24 innings against the Lions, winning the first game 1-0 and losing the second game by the same score, and followed that battle with a difficult sweep over the Big Red the next day, 4-3 and 2-0, thanks to the pitching and hitting heroics of sophomore Calli Jo Varner.

Both Columbia games were characterized by pitching duels that eventually led to more than a full game's worth in extra inning play. In game one, junior pitcher Erin Snyder held a no-hitter into the fourth inning and allowed only five hits throughout the game. Snyder attacked the strike zone against every batter, striking out 14 and walking none. In the fifth with two runners on and no outs, she recorded two strikeouts and a fly-out to get out of the inning unscathed.

Small ball eventually won the game in the bottom of the tenth. The inning started when Varner was walked by Lion pitcher Jackie Adelfo, who had worked a two-hitter up to that point. Sophomore rightfielder Stephanie Steel pinch ran for Varner, who had advanced on freshman outfielder Beth Dalmut's sacrifice bunt. Finally, Princeton got the key hit to put them on top, a single to left by senior catcher Ty Ries.

The Tigers ran into the same problems in the second game, which lasted an unnaturally long 14 innings, all pitched by freshman Kristen Schaus. Over the day, she tallied eight strikeouts, five hits, one run and two batters walked.

"Pitchers can throw up to two, three games a day. It's different than baseball in that it's a natural motion," head coach Maureen Barron said. "Sometimes people are used to pitching in five to six games a weekend."

Princeton was not without opportunities to score. In the fifth, the Tigers were able to load up the bases — Ries hit a single, sophomore third baseman Tiffany Andras reached on an error and junior second baseman Lindsay Motal walked — only to strand all three of their players and abandon one of their few scoring chances.

In the 11th, after Motal was walked to lead off the inning, sophomore third baseman Tiffany Wilson pinch ran and moved to second on a sac bunt by junior shortstop Christina Cobb-Adams. Snyder then smacked a base hit that looked like the go-ahead single, but Wilson was gunned down at the plate trying to avoid the tag by the Lions' catcher Shelle Borton.

The score finally broke zeros in the 14th, when Columbia's Lexie Costic reached on an error, stole second and finally scored on a double from Kacey Krisman. Though not the desired result, it was still an impressive afternoon for Schaus, who essentially pitched two games.

"We need to make things happen earlier in the game," Barron said. "We just beat ourselves in the second game; it was sort of an off day for hitting."

Offense returns

In the first game against Cornell on Sunday, Snyder was uncharacteristically hit for three runs, two of which were earned. In an attempt to halt the offensive momentum of the Big Red, Varner relieved Snyder on the mound. Varner struck out the side in the fifth inning, tallying six strikeouts in the three innings she pitched.

The Tigers remained scoreless until the seventh despite a long drive to leftfield by Andras that was picked off — a shot that would have tied the game. After the seventh, this baserunning error became trivial, as Varner again played the role of the hero. Last week, Varner hit two home runs in the night cap of a doubleheader against Lehigh, the most crucial of which was one in the seventh to win the game.

The inning began with a single to leftfield by Cobb-Adams, followed by a sacrifice by Motal that advanced Cobb-Adams to second. Finley then smacked a hard base hit to leftfield, and Snyder loaded the bases with a strategically placed hit up the middle that was a tough play for the shortstop. Varner needed only one pitch to send a commanding shot over the left-centerfield wall to put Princeton on top.

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The tough defeat silenced Cornell's bats for the rest of the day, as Schaus shut out the Big Red on only four hits. Good Tiger defense secured the shutout for Schaus, who only gave up nine hits and one run in the equivalent of three games pitched this weekend.

Princeton's scores came in the second and sixth innings. In the second, Varner again sent another shot over the fences to put the Tigers ahead, 1-0. In the sixth, Snyder recorded an RBI single that gave Princeton a 2-0 lead that it would hang on to for the sweep.

The Tigers take on Rutgers in Piscataway on Tuesday and are at home for a doubleheader against Towson on Wednesday.