Softball team goes 2-2 in tournament

Last weekend, the Tigers pushed through strong matchups, coming out 2-2 on the weekend with their first victory over a Big Ten program since 2006. Two Tigers also received Ivy League weekly honors, with junior catcher Skye Jerpbak named Ivy League Player of the Week and freshman pitcher Ashley LaGuardia receiving both Ivy League Rookie of the Week and Ivy League Pitcher of the Week honors. The Tigers (3-6) played games against Florida A&M University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Iowa and Long Island University. The Tigers split their matches on both days, coming out victorious over Florida A&M but falling to UCF on Friday, while falling to Long Island and besting Iowa on Saturday. The Tigers were also scheduled to take on Florida A&M again on Sunday, but the game was washed out.

Looking at the two Ivy League honorees of the week, Jerpbak really got into the groove of the season last weekend, going 9 for 14 over the last five games to bat .636 during the tournament. LaGuardia also had an incredible weekend, throwing 13 2/3 innings over the weekend, earning a 2.05 Earned Run Average and pitching incredibly well on Friday, finishing the day with a 0.72 ERA and 1-1 on the day.

The Tigers beat Florida A&M 9-1 in a strong start to the weekend. The Tigers scored the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the second. The Rattlers tried to rally with a run in the top of the fourth, but the Tigers quickly responded with four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. The Tigers closed the game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, winning with the run-rule. LaGuardia pitched the entire game, holding off Florida A&M well. Seven Tigers had hits during the opening game of the weekend, with Jerpbak, freshman outfielder Kylee Pierce and junior first baseman Emily Viggers all batting two-hit games, and Pierce, sophomore outfielder Marissa Reynolds and senior infielder/outfielder Rachel Rendina driving in two runs each.

Friday evening, the Tigers fell 3-2 in a close game against nationally ranked UCF. UCF, ranked No. 15 in the ESPN.com/USA Today poll and No.17 by the NFCA, scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning, and the Tigers spent the rest of the game trying to even out the score. The Tigers scored a run in the top of the second when Jerpbak hit a double to send sophomore infielder Haley Hineman home, and another in the top of the sixth when senior catcher/first baseman Cara Worden batted Pierce home. UCF scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth and shut the Tigers out in the seventh inning.

Saturday’s opening game against Long Island proved difficult for the Tigers, as the Blackbirds scored the first three runs of the game in the bottom of the second, scoring again in the bottom of the fifth to put Long Island up by four. The Tigers fought back, scoring two runs in the top of the sixth inning on a two-run home run hit by Jerpbak. After Long Island scored another run in the bottom of the sixth, Princeton scored another two in the top of the seventh on Rendina and Hineman singles, which just weren’t enough to clinch a Tiger victory.

The Tigers notched their second run-rule win of the weekend against Iowa on Saturday afternoon in an incredible 10-2 victory. Iowa opened the game strong, up 2-1 going into the bottom of the fourth inning with a Tiger run coming from a Worden homer in the bottom of the second inning. The Tigers evened the score when Worden scored on a Jerpbak double to left field. Princeton blew the game open in the fifth inning when Princeton scored eight runs on four hits and a walk, combined with poor fielding from Iowa. Hineman had a four-hit game, her first of the season and second of her career.