On a weekend when anything less than perfection would not be enough, the Princeton softball team fell short. The Tigers (23-30 overall, 13-9 Ivy League) needed to sweep Cornell (32-13, 13-7) to continue with post season play, but the team could only win two of four matchups with the Big Red. The losses mean that Princeton's season will end with its doubleheader against Rider on Tuesday night.
"This season has definitely been a learning experience, and we've had some amazing games and some not-so-great games," junior pitcher Kris Schaus said. "But, we have so much talent, and we work so well together that it is sure to come together at some point."
On Friday, Princeton started the afternoon on a high note, winning the first matchup of the four-game series by a dominating score of 9-2. The Tigers began the game with a bang, getting five hits and batting through the entire nine-person order in the first inning. Freshman pitcher Jamie Lettire put the Tigers on the board first with a three-run homer. Sophomore infielder Jackie Araneo capped the scoring later in the inning with an RBI single, bringing Princeton's lead to 4-0.
Cornell tried to fight back in the bottom of the first, loading the bases. Keeping her cool, Schaus buckled down and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.
The Big Red settled down on the mound after its tumultuous first inning and kept the Tigers silent until the top of the fifth inning, when senior designated player Calli Jo Varner singled in sophomore infielder Kathryn Welch. The run gave Princeton a solid 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Cornell tried to rally on Jessy Berkey's solo home run but did not have any other scoring opportunities during the inning.
In the sixth inning, Varner singlehandedly doubled the Tigers' lead to eight, with a grand slam home run, her seventh homer on the season. In the seventh, the Big Red again tried to rally with a solo home run, but true to form, veteran Schaus was able to shut the team down and win the game with a score of 9-2.
Cornell started the second game strongly, scoring three runs off Princeton's Lettire in the first inning. Both teams were kept silent until the Tigers came roaring back in the third, with both Welch and Lettire hitting home runs to tie the game at 3.
The tie was brief, as Big Red infielder Elise Menaker hit her second homer of the game, giving Cornell a 5-3 lead. In the top of the fourth, the Tigers capitalized on an error by the Big Red's pitcher, bringing the score to 5-4.
Varner replaced Lettire in the fourth inning, but she was overpowered as Cornell managed to get three hits and a walk off her for four runs and a 9-4 lead. Schaus was then called upon to close out the inning.
In the sixth, the Tigers rallied to score six runs and take a 10-9 lead on RBI singles by sophomore catcher Samantha O'Hara, senior outfielder Stephanie Steel and sophomore outfielder Brianna Moreno, and a home run from Welch. Cornell, however, clawed its way back in the bottom of the sixth with the help of a Princeton error and uncharacteristic walks from Schaus, to take a 12-10 lead. This lead would stand, crushing Princeton's hopes of competing for the Ivy Championship title.
The team still came out swinging to start Sunday afternoon's first game. After keeping the Big Red quiet in the top of the first, Steel walked as the lead-off batter for Princeton, and team power-hitter Welch doubled to bat her in. Sophomore outfielder Erin Miller was able to bring Welch home on an RBI sacrifice fly before the inning ended, putting the Tigers up 2-0.
After it looked like Cornell's pitcher was settled down in the second, freshman infielder Collette Abbott shook her up again by homering to left to bring Princeton's lead to 3-0.
Battling back, Cornell scored off a lead-off home run in the fourth and loaded the bases. After adding an insurance run in the sixth, Princeton did not allow another Cornell batter to reach base. In a low-scoring game when every run could prove to be the deciding one, Princeton came out on top by a score of 4-1.
In the second game of the afternoon, it was Cornell's turn to strike first, taking a 1-0 lead off of Lettire when a Princeton error allowed the Big Red's lone base runner to score.
In the third inning, Cornell's power-hitting freshman infielder Alyson Intihar made Lettire pay for walking the lead-off batter when she drove a ball over the leftfield fence for a two RBI home run, bringing the Big Red's lead to 3-0. Lettire wasn't able to control Cornell in the fourth either, giving up a solo home run to make the score 4-0.
Varner hit one over the fence to cut Cornell's lead in half and bring the score to 4-2, but that was as close as the Tigers would come as the Big Red emerged victorious, 5-2.
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