Softball: Series win caps successful rebuilding season

The softball team ended its season on a high note this weekend, taking three out of four games at Cornell and capping the program’s best season since 2006.

The Tigers (27-19 overall, 12-8 Ivy League) finished second in the South Division of the Ivy League, a major accomplishment for a team that went 14-32 overall and 8-12 in the league last year. It was Princeton’s first winning season since it won the league five years ago, and head coach Lisa Sweeney had the best record a first-year coach has recorded in the program’s history.

Senior pitcher Alex Peyton picked up the win in the first game, bringing her record for the season to 8-7. She allowed one run off just two hits and struck out three. She was supported by the kind of power that has come to mark her team, with senior outfielder Lizzy Pierce hitting a two-run home run in the third and senior outfielder Candy Button adding a solo shot the next inning for insurance, which the Tigers would not need.

Peyton allowed just one hit before the seventh inning, when a Big Red (20-26, 8-12) runner reached first a catcher interference call and was advanced to third on two fielders’ choices. Cornell’s second and final hit of the game broke up the shutout, but Peyton retired the next batter to seal the 3-1 win.

The second game was closer, with Princeton notching a win in the 10th inning, 7-5. The Tigers went down 3-1 in the fourth inning. Peyton hit two home runs, one of which tied the score in the fifth. Freshman outfielder Danielle Allen added one of her own to keep pace with the Big Red, and Pierce and junior catcher Maddie Cousens each got an RBI in the 10th inning to lead the Tigers to victory.

The sweep of Saturday’s doubleheader marked another accomplishment for the Tigers, as they had not taken both games of a doubleheader against Cornell in Ithaca since 2005.

They lost their chance to repeat the next day, as they lost 1-0 in the bottom of the 15th inning. Peyton pitched the entire game, meaning that she pitched the equivalent of three games in two days and gave up 12 hits but only the single run. The Tigers had eight hits but were unable to capitalize on them thanks to a phenomenal performance from Cornell pitcher Alyson Onyon.

Pierce, Allen and sophomore shortstop Alyssa Schmidt each had two hits.

Following the shutout, the Tigers burst out of the gates in the fourth game, winning 11-2 in six innings. Senior pitcher Liza Kuhn picked up the win. Button and freshman infielder Kayla Bose each hit three-run home runs, and Cousens had a solo dinger while Pierce, Schmidt, Peyton and Allen all drove in runs to ensure that the game was never close.

Peyton finishes the year and her college career leading the team in home runs and RBI with 11 and 36, respectively.