Veteran hitters to lead at Tar Heel Invitational

Princeton will have the opportunity to get another win under its belt when it takes on Lafayette (1-1) this afternoon. The Leopards haven’t played much yet this year and are still looking to work out their early-season jitters.

In the Lafayette rotation, pitching time has been split evenly between freshman Ali Henry and sophomore Kasey Karr. With underclassmen on the mound, veteran Tiger hitters like junior infielder Kathryn Welch and senior outfielder and captain Beth Dalmut will need to take advantage of the Leopards’ inexperience.

“Our goal this year is to focus on what we can do to affect change in the game regardless of the team we are playing,” Dalmut said. “If we play to our potential, we can win every game this season. It’s about what we can do, rather than what the other teams can do to us.”

Following the game against Lafayette, Princeton will take on South Carolina-Upstate, who is on a three-game win streak. The Spartans are relying on a cast of veterans to lead their offense. Junior outfielder Heidi Gibbs is hitting for an impressive .462 average, and senior outfielder Shay Slater is right behind her at .405.

Slater also leads the team in RBI with eight. In senior righthander Kristen Schaus, however, the Tigers have a pitcher who is used to the pressure and has the ability to strike power hitters out.

On Saturday morning, the Tigers will face host team Carolina. The Tar Heels (17-6) are an impressive squad and have had the opportunity to play many more games this season than their competition. This gives them an advantage as far as team chemistry goes. The Tar Heels also return most of the starters from last year’s team, which qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Despite having many returning players, the team has yet to decide on a solid pitching lineup. The duties have been spread among four players, with junior Lisa Norris taking on the brunt of the work.

If the Tigers can hit well enough early on to knock the starting pitcher out of the game, it’s likely they will be able to capitalize on the Tar Heels’ lack of a clear-cut second-string pitcher.

Late Saturday afternoon, Princeton will take on James Madison in the fourth game of the weekend. The Dukes (7-7) have relied heavily on junior infielder Amber Kirk for their offensive firepower. She leads the team in batting average, hits and home runs. If the pitching staff can eliminate her as a threat, they should be able to effectively shut down the offense. The Tigers also need to be wary of junior outfielder Kaitlyn Wernsing, who has stolen six bases on six attempts.

Defensively, James Madison has struggled, committing a staggering total of 37 errors. If Princeton can put the ball in play, it should be able to capitalize on the Dukes’ lack of confidence in the field. If the Tigers fail to contain Kirk, however, the error-prone fielders will not affect the final outcome.

Despite finishing last weekend on a losing note, the Tigers are confident they can improve their play and their record this weekend.

“To win, we need to remain sharp on defense and continue to attack on offense,” Dalmut said. “We need to link our offensive production with a strong and stable defense. If we accomplish that, we should come home with a lot of wins.”