Snyder dominant as Tigers beat Penn twice

Senior starting pitcher Erin Snyder could use a new nickname. Perhaps "The Sheriff" will do — or something along the lines of "The Long Arm of the Law". After all, she shut down and locked up a veritable murderers' row Saturday when the softball team (16-8 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) opened its Ivy League schedule with a doubleheader against Penn (11-16, 0-2).

Snyder pitched a complete-game shutout in the first matchup, a 4-0 victory, and picked up the win in the second, a 5-2 triumph, after coming on in relief. In 8.2 innings, she struck out 17 Quakers and held Penn's star hitters to a combined three for 12 performance. Coming into the game, Penn's top four position players were all hitting .387 or better.

Snyder set the tone early in the first game. In the bottom of the first, she retired the side on three consecutive strikeouts. This would have been impressive against any team, but against the Quakers' lineup it was an otherworldly feat. Penn's leadoff hitter, junior Stephanie Reichert, had only struck out six times the entire year and came into the game with a .387 average, she ended the game with three strikeouts in three at-bats. Second baseman Annie Kinsey, the final out of the inning, came into the game hitting .400 with only seven strikeouts during the season.

After letting the Quakers know she wasn't intimidated, Snyder continued to set the tone in later innings. She struck out the side again in the third and sixth innings, and only allowed three base runners on the day.

The Tigers' offense, on the other hand, was by no means flawless. The team stranded 11 runners on base, including six in scoring position. Nonetheless, Princeton's players refused to be intimidated by Penn's pitching.

The Orange and Black collected at least one hit in every inning and struck out just three times.

The Tigers finally got on the board in the sixth inning. Freshman catcher Samantha O'Hara started off the inning with a double. One batter later, fellow rookie Jackie Araneo came up to the plate. Araneo, whom head coach Maureen Barron described in the preseason as arguably her most talented freshman, hit the first homer of her Princeton career.

The 2-0 margin would be enough for Snyder, but the team tacked on two more insurance runs in the same inning on a single by freshman utility player Kathryn Welch.

Round two

In the second game, the Tigers followed their tried and true script of dominant pitching and clutch hitting. After being quieted by Snyder, Penn earned the privilege of facing sophomore starter Kristen Schaus, Princeton's other first-team All-Ivy selection last season.

This unique starting pitching depth is Tigers' most prominent advantage. Barron noted how important it would be before the season began.

"Where most teams have one ace and then their number two and number three, we feel like we have two number ones," she said.

Schaus pitched a workmanlike game, tossing 5.1 innings and allowing two runs. Both came on homers, one from utility player Julia Cheney and another from Reichert. She left with the game tied 2-2 in the sixth after giving up the second homer and a single to centerfielder Kaelin Ainley.

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What was Penn's reward for forcing Schaus out of the game? The Quakers must have been thrilled when they realized that they had earned another opportunity to see Snyder, who came on in relief of her fellow All-Ivy starter and struck out the next two batters to end the threat.

Inspired by Snyder's efforts, the Tigers' offense roared back in the top of the seventh. Senior shortstop Cristina Cobb-Adams led off with a double and advanced to third with aggressive base-running on a sacrifice fly. Welch followed with a sharp single lined through the left side which scored Cobb-Adams.

Snyder then came up to bat. Apparently determined to further Penn's plight, she promptly homered to put Princeton up 5-2 and chase the Quaker's starter, Olivia Mauro, from the game. Snyder then pitched a quiet 1-2-3 inning to end the game.

Maybe it would be most fitting to call her "Penn's Worst Nightmare."