Wildcats claw past Tigers in double dip

The swagger that accompanied the softball team's securing the Ivy League crown just last weekend seemed to have vanished completely by the time Princeton (33-18 overall, 12-2 Ivy League) finished dropping its third and fourth games in a row at the hands of Villanova (34-23) on Thursday afternoon at Class of 1895 Field. After avoiding being swept in a doubleheader over their first 47 games, the Tigers have now accomplished that ignominious feat twice in three days.

Unlike Tuesday's losses to Saint Joseph's, however, these losses came with the Tigers' two best pitchers, junior Erin Snyder and freshman Kristen Schaus, on the mound. Neither player exhibited the form that has made them the Ivy League's most dominant duo, as Snyder lost just her fourth game of the season in the opener, 3-1, before watching Schaus drop the second game, 4-1.

Although Snyder allowed one less earned run than Schaus, her defeat was the more disconcerting of the two. The Tigers' ace, who came into the game with a league-leading 0.63 earned run average and 201 strikeouts, was torched by Wildcat hitters to the tune of nine hits and three earned runs over seven innings.

The damage began soon after Snyder used her bat to stake an early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the second inning with no outs, Snyder drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in centerfield for her sixth home run and team-leading 30th run batted in of the season.

But Snyder, who would add a single in the seventh inning, was the only Princeton player to manage a hit all game. Villanova's ace, diminutive fireballer Shannon Williams, kept the Tigers' bats cold all afternoon while racking up eight strikeouts and improving on the earned run average of 1.32 with which she came into the game.

Meanwhile, against the Wildcats' potent lineup, Snyder was unable to match her Big East counterpart. In the top of the fourth inning, Villanova made Snyder pay for giving up a leadoff walk by following it up with a trio of singles that tied the game.

The Wildcats got to Snyder again in the sixth, when Cassie Koenig tagged her for a leadoff, sure-thing homerun to leftfield. Then, in the seventh, a two-out, two-strike RBI single by Sheri Donley gave Villanova a final insurance run, which proved unnecessary when Williams shut down the Princeton offense in the bottom of the inning to finish off her complete-game victory.

In the nightcap, Schaus unraveled quickly, and the demoralized Tiger hitters showed few signs of life thereafter. After twice being called by the first-base umpire for an illegal pitching motion in the top of the second inning, Schaus appeared rattled. With a runner on second base, Villanova batters began to take advantage of Schaus' frayed nerves and laid down two consecutive bunts in her direction, both of which Schaus followed with errant throws to first. By the end of the inning, the Wildcats had taken a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the second, sophomore third baseman Tiffany Andras doubled for Princeton, scoring senior catcher Ty Ries and cutting the deficit down to two. That was the only time the Tigers managed to muster anything offensively against Villanova hurler Kristen Haynes, though, who pitched five strong innings without allowing an earned run.

Haynes had been replaced by Kat Walsh by the time the Tigers found themselves down 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning with runners at second and third and two outs. Freshman designated hitter Lauren Bierman struck out, though, to end the game, leaving senior centerfielder Melissa Finley, the team's top slugger, in the on-deck circle. Finley was hitless on the afternoon.

On Saturday at 1 p.m., Finley and the Tigers will look to regain some of their confidence when they host Rider in a doubleheader that will end their regular season. The two games against the hapless Broncs (12-28) should serve as a tuneup for Princeton before the team begins play in the Regionals of the NCAA Tournament.

Despite its poor record, Rider possesses an offense capable of testing Tiger pitching. Head coach Maureen Barron '97 may choose to pitch Snyder and Schaus again, or possibly rest her aces and give the nod to sophomore pitchers Calli Jo Varner and Amelia Runyan. Either way, Bronc hitters, who boast a .280 batting average as a team, should keep Princeton on its toes.

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The same could not accurately be said of the Rider pitching staff, which the struggling Tiger hitters will welcome to 1895 Field with open arms. With a team earned run average of 4.81 and without a single pitcher who boasts a winning record, Rider often finds itself blown out of games. Such was the case on Monday, when the Broncs were outscored 18-0 on the way to being swept in a doubleheader against Manhattan.

Whether the Rider team that shows up Saturday afternoon provides the Tigers with some manageable competition or just a confidence boost, Princeton needs to embrace the opportunity the match-up gives the team to go into the postseason on a high note.