Schaus notches 700th strikeout in defeat

When the Tigers (2-5) finally took the field, they showed sparks of brilliance mixed with several innings of lackluster play. After a whirlwind 24 hours during which Princeton played 22 innings, the Tigers finished the weekend with a disappointing 1-2 record.

The team began play Saturday night against a strong James Madison (8-9) team. Through the first three innings, neither team was able to get much momentum going at the plate. That changed in the fourth inning, when JMU’s leadoff batter reached base on an error. Quick to capitalize on the Tigers’ mistake, catcher Julia Dominguez smashed a home run to centerfield to put the Dukes up 2-0.

James Madison scored once again in the fifth, when the leadoff batter reached base on a single and came around to score after several base hits.

Poised to make a dramatic comeback in the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers had runners in scoring position, but JMU quickly retired the next batter to secure the 3-0 win.

Invigorated by their last inning, the Tigers took the previous day’s momentum into the first game on Sunday against Lafayette (1-4). Princeton came out swinging right from the start, with junior outfielder Brianna Moreno getting on base and sophomore outfielder Kelsey Quist doubling to knock her in for a one-run lead. Lafayette couldn’t capitalize on a leadoff walk before the Tigers, led by freshman pitcher Michelle Tolfa, recorded three outs.

In the third inning, Princeton added to its lead when sophomore infielder Kathryn Welch singled and Quist hit a home run to bring the Tigers’ margin to 3-0. The scoring continued in the fifth when Moreno crossed the plate again on an error by the Leopards. In the bottom of the fifth, Lafayette was able to get onto the board when its leadoff batter doubled and the next batter hit a home run to close the gap to 4-2.

Still on a roll, the Princeton offense struck three more times before the end of the game. In the sixth, freshman infielder Megan Weidrick hit the first home run of her career, and in the seventh, Lettire hit a two-run shot to bring the final score to 7-2.

“I think we definitely made some improvements from our performance last weekend,” senior pitcher Kristen Schaus said.

Looking to end the weekend on a strong note, Princeton played University of South Carolina-Upstate (12-3) on Sunday afternoon. Through the first three innings neither team was able to get their offense moving, and Schaus was able to add several more strikeouts to her increasingly impressive career total. In the fourth, however, the Spartans were able to crack her, scoring a run when an error extended the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Princeton tied the game off sophomore pitcher Jamie Lettire’s home run.

Upstate came back in the fifth and strung enough base hits together to score a run, putting the Spartans back on top, 2-1. With the game on the line for Princeton in the bottom of the seventh, sophomore infielder Collette Abbot homered to tie the score at two.

In accordance with NCAA regulations, Upstate started the eighth inning with a runner on second. Princeton’s pitching and defense broke down, with three hit batsmen and an error. Upstate managed to blow the game open, scoring four runs on only two hits.

Given a chance to come back again in the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers weren’t up to the challenge, finally falling 6-2 to a determined Upstate team.

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Despite losing two of three games, the team remains upbeat about its performance.

“We fought back again on Sunday and put up a lot of hits and looked even tougher on defense, so we’re definitely settling in,” Schaus said. “We still have some things to work on, but we’re excited for this coming week in California.”