Softball: Princeton to face 1st South Division foe of season

The Tigers enter the weekend just one win behind division leader Cornell. With four division games over the weekend, they have a prime opportunity to leap into first place in the standings. Penn, meanwhile, currently sits at third in the Ivy League South, only one win ahead of Columbia. Cornell will travel to Columbia this weekend.

Princeton was slated to play Hofstra on Tuesday, but the match was canceled due to inclement weather. Though the Tigers would have had ample time to rest up for this weekend had that game been played, they were grateful for the chance to catch up on coursework and put in some extra hours of practice.

“The canceled game against Hofstra gave us another day to practice, time to rest and prepare for this weekend,” sophomore pitcher Alex Peyton said.

“[It] let us get a little sleep and actually do some work,” sophomore outfielder Lizzy Pierce said. “We will be more prepared for this weekend with less on our shoulders.”

The Tigers have had to battle Mother Nature frequently this season. This weekend’s games were originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday before a rainy forecast forced officials to move Saturday’s doubleheader to Friday.

This weekend will be the first time this season Princeton will play the same opponent four times. This schedule will have an effect on how the players prepare and adjust for each game.

“Adjustments are always important whether in facing a new pitcher or improving the outcome of an at-bat off the same pitcher,” Pierce said. “In four games, chances are that a batter is going to hit the ball to the same spot and we are going to see that same pitch. We just need to be ready.”

Until now, the Tigers have split each Ivy League doubleheader to maintain their .500 league record. Winning, or even sweeping, this weekend’s series would go a long way toward finishing atop the Ivy League at season’s end. Peyton simply described the opportunity as “huge.”

As one of the team’s most consistent batters, Pierce knows that consistency is the key to having a successful weekend.

“In splitting every doubleheader, we know that we are good enough to beat every team, just not consistent enough to do it twice,” Pierce said. “The most important thing this weekend will be consistency.”

The Tigers have not faced Penn yet this season and admittedly know little of the Quakers’ playing style.

“I don’t know much about their team,” Peyton said. “But I do know they have been scoring lots of runs and have a powerful offense.”

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The Quakers currently rank fourth in the Ivy League in both team batting average and are tied for third in runs scored, ahead of the Tigers in both categories. Fortunately for Princeton, Penn’s run prevention is not nearly as powerful as its offense. The Quakers rank last in the Ivy League in ERA, giving up an average of 5.93 earned runs per game. They have also allowed the most hits and runs.

Pierce and the rest of the Tigers’ offense look to take advantage of Penn’s pitching woes while Peyton and the pitching staff will try to contain the host’s powerful offense.

The first doubleheader is slated for Friday and the series will come to a close on Sunday. Friday’s opener will begin at 2 p.m. while Saturday’s will start at noon.