Softball: Princeton takes 1 of 4 from Cornell in final series

“We are sad about the end of the season,” freshman outfielder Lizzy Pierce said. “We are close to the team, and we are going to miss the seniors. They bring a really good dynamic to the team, and it is going to be hard to see them go.”

This weekend, the Tigers (13-35 overall, 7-17 Ivy League) won one of the four games they played. Princeton played a doubleheader at Cornell (35-13, 20-4) on Friday and again on Sunday at home. Cornell swept Princeton in Friday’s games, 8-1 and 7-4. The Tigers bounced back on Sunday with a 4-2 win before dropping the final game of the series, 7-6.

In the first game, the Tigers got off to a quick start. Freshman pitcher Alex Peyton knocked in a run with a double in the first inning, but Cornell responded strongly. The Big Red scored two runs in the third before adding six more as the game went on. Senior starter Jamie Lettire took the loss for the Tigers. Lettire led the team offensively in the game, going 2-2 with a walk.

In game two, Princeton jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead on the strength of a Lettire RBI single and a three-run home run from senior outfielder Kelsey Quist. Again, the Big Red rallied for the win. Cornell scored one in the bottom of the first and two in the bottom of the second.

In the third game on Sunday, Princeton again jumped out to a lead, scoring three runs in the fourth inning and holding off the Big Red for a 4-2 win.

Sunday’s final match was quite the game, with three lead changes. Princeton took an early 2-0 lead before Cornell responded with four runs. The Tigers then closed the gap to 4-3 before the Big Red added a run to make it 5-3. In the fifth inning, sophomore outfielder Nicole Ontiveros doubled in two runs to tie the game. Senior outfielder Ellen Scott then hit a double of her own, driving in Ontiveros and giving Princeton a 6-5 lead. Cornell scored two runs against Lettire to take a 7-6 lead in the sixth.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Quist came up to bat with two outs and the bases loaded after Lettire had been intentionally walked. But the senior popped out in her last at-bat, and Cornell returned home with the win. Cornell will host the Ivy League Championship Series.

Despite losing three of the four games, the Tigers felt that they played well this weekend against a team that was strong in every area.

“The batting, pitching and outfield was pretty good,” Pierce said. “We did really well against a team that is a very strong offensive team.”

Quist and Lettire’s contributions were not lost on the team’s youngsters.

“Jamie Lettire played really well; Kelsey Quist had a three-run home run in the first inning of the second game,” Pierce said. “They are finishing their senior year out with a bang.”

Quist did not just hit a three-run home run on Friday; she also had two of the four runs Princeton posted for its win on Sunday morning.