Princeton rallies to take two

The softball team took a few games to shake off the rust at its season opener at the University of North Carolina Tar Heel Invitational, dropping its first two games before winning the final two.

Princeton (2-2 overall) found itself at a disadvantage to open the tournament, as its first two opponents, Liberty (5-3) and Marshall (9-7), had already played some games before the weekend, while the Tigers had yet to even venture outside. Adding to the difficulties, a rain delay on Friday postponed the start of Princeton's season an additional two hours.

"The first two games of the weekend were tough for us, especially having to get acclimated to playing outside, but we hit really well and eventually our pitching and defense settled down a bit," said junior pitching ace Kristen Schaus, who struck out 26 batters in 18 innings over the weekend.

Princeton, down 4-0 after three innings in the first game against Liberty, had a chance to claw its way back when sophomore Kathryn Welch put her team on the board with a shot down the left field line, driving in junior Lauren Bierman. With two on and one out, though, the Tigers couldn't produce any more runs.

Liberty claimed victory by a score of 9-4, putting the Tigers' first win of the season on hold. Princeton's second game of the tournament against Marshall was closer, but the Tigers once again fell short, 9-6.

After falling behind, 3-0, two-RBI hits by Welch and sophomore Jackie Araneo in consecutive innings gave the Tigers a 4-3 lead going into the bottom of the fourth. Araneo, along with freshmen Kelsey Quist and Collette Abbott, had two hits apiece in the game.

Unfortunately for Princeton, the bottom of the inning saw the Thundering Herd score five runs against senior pitcher and tri-captain Calli Jo Varner. Schaus replaced Varner after the momentum-changing fourth inning and gave up just one run the rest of the game, but it was not enough to save the Tigers from their second defeat of the season.

"The first two games we struggled defensively and on the mound," Varner said. "[But,] we came out swinging the bats well and scoring a lot of runs."

The tide turned as Princeton faced Rhode Island (0-3) in the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, and the runs finally translated into a victory. The team's first win also helped save some pitching arms, as the Tigers only needed to play five innings, using the run-rule to beat the Rams, 10-1.

Schaus started the game, allowing no runs and one hit while striking out six in three innings before handing the ball over to Varner, who also only allowed one hit. The Rams scored their only run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning.

While Princeton's top pitchers shut down any semblance of a Rhode Island offense, the Tigers broke out their bats with 10 runs. Abbott, who went three for three in the game, put her team on the board in grand fashion, as the freshman hit a solo home run in the first inning. In the next inning, Princeton scored four runs while batting around the entire order, eliminating any doubt that this would be a blowout by the Tigers.

After its first win of the season, Princeton rode the momentum to another victory Sunday against Fairfield (1-4). In a low-scoring affair, the Tigers evened out their weekend with a 3-2 win behind a complete game by Schaus.

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After Abbott's brilliant offensive performance the day before, it was Kelsey Quist's turn to be the freshman star. Quist, who went two for three, came through with a double in the seventh inning when the game was tied 2-2. Junior Beth Dalmut drove home the freshman with a single to claim the lead and the game.

"I'm glad we ended the weekend strong after our rough start," senior tri-captain Stephanie Steel said.

Over the weekend, Steele stretched a streak of at-bats without a strikeout to 62, dating back to last season.

Now that the rust is off, Princeton will try to add to the win column in Maryland next weekend, where it will once again face Rhode Island, along with Central Connecticut State, Louisville and Maryland.