Tigers trounce Ivy foes

The softball team opened Ivy League play in strong fashion this weekend, sweeping doubleheaders against Brown and Yale and surging to a 4-0 conference record.

"It was great to put together a solid winning streak, but it was even more important to start off our Ivy season on a high note," junior pitcher Kristen Schaus said.

Schaus (6-8) notched a pair of wins while allowing only one run and striking out 13 in two games. Her complete-game shutout in the Tigers' first game against Brown (6-13 overall, 0-2 Ivy League) ensured Princeton (13-18, 4-0) the victory despite only two runs from the offense.

Against Yale (13-7, 0-4), Schaus led the Tigers in a pitching duel that went into extra innings tied at one. The game continued into the 10th inning, when sophomore catcher Sam O'Hara and sophomore leftfielder Brianna Moreno singled to ignite a spark under the Princeton offense, which had not scored since the first inning.

Freshman second baseman Collette Abbott followed the singles with a grounder up the middle. Yale second baseman Christina Guerland charged toward the mound but fumbled the ball and could not make a play. Pinch-running for O'Hara, sophomore catcher Larkin Brogan crossed the plate to give the Tigers the 2-1 lead.

Just in case Schaus couldn't maintain her day long dominance of the Bulldog offense, Princeton scored two more runs in the 10th to take a 4-1 advantage going into the bottom of the inning. The insurance proved unnecessary, though, as Schaus allowed only a single in the inning and finished off Yale, throwing her 152nd pitch in yet another complete-game effort.

While the upperclassman ace destroyed opposing batters, freshman pitcher Jamie Lettire (4-4) proved that she, too, could bewilder Ivy League bats, leading the Tigers to wins in the second game of each doubleheader.

Her game against Brown included not only a good pitching performance, but also a game-winning hit that put the Tigers over the top, 4-3, in eight innings. After trailing 3-2 going into the seventh, Princeton rallied to tie it up and force extra innings.

Senior centerfielder Stephanie Steel got the top of the seventh going with a one-out shot to right field, reaching third when the ball glanced off the glove of Brown rightfielder Liz Anderson. Moreno didn't let Steel stay on the bases for long, as the sophomore hit a ball down the third-base line. As Steel crossed the plate, Brown third baseman Whitney Lewis launched the ball past first base, allowing Moreno to scramble all the way to third.

With the game tied, Brown stalled Princeton's quest for victory when pitcher Michelle Moses sent Abbott's hit right back where it came from, throwing Moreno out at the plate.

In the bottom of the inning, Brown threatened to win, advancing a runner to third with only one out. Fortunately Lettire forced a couple of harmless pop-ups to leave the Bear base-runner stranded, forcing extra innings.

Sophomore shortstop Kathryn Welch, who went three-for-four in the game, led off the eighth inning with a single but was thrown out at second when sophomore third baseman Jackie Araneo grounded into a fielder's choice. With Araneo at first base and one out, Lettire helped herself out, this time with her bat instead of her arm. She crushed the ball to deep centerfield for a double and sent her teammate flying around the bases. Araneo scored all the way from first to give the Tigers a 4-3 lead that they held onto for the win.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

"Nearly every scenario was thrown at us, but we were tough and pulled out each game," Schaus explained.

Having swept Brown and Yale in the two previous years, Princeton needed just one more victory against the Bulldogs on Sunday afternoon to do it again. The Tigers not only got the win, but they also put together their strongest offensive attack of the weekend for a 6-3 victory.

Steel set the tone by leading off the game with a single, and she soon scored when Welch doubled. Lettire drove in Welch with a double of her own, and Princeton owned a 2-0 lead after the first inning that it would never relinquish. In the process of racking up their six runs, the Tigers even scored on a squeeze play where Welch bunted to bring home Moreno.

"It was really nice to come out of this weekend with four wins," senior tri-captain and designated player Calli Jo Varner said. "We struggled through spring break, and it was crucial that we were able to come back from our losses and beat our conference teams."

Next up for Princeton are Harvard and Dartmouth, who both hope to put a dent in the Tigers' flawless conference record. The doubleheaders this weekend will be Princeton's first home games of the year at Class of 1895 Field.