All season, the softball team has won on the strength of its dominant pitching — and lost on the slipups of an error-prone infield.
Yesterday's doubleheader at Villanova showcased both faces of Princeton's defense.
The Tigers lost the first game, 3-0, on an error, but came back to win the second game, 1-0, on the strength of a one-hitter pitched by the combination of sophomores Sarah Jane White and Brie Galicinao.
The host Wildcats were not very welcoming when Princeton first arrived. The Tigers (18-22 overall, 6-4 Ivy League) managed only two hits in the first game. No other Tiger even reached first base.
Villanova was also able to take advantage of Princeton's spotty defense early on. After an error and a hit batter in the second inning, Wildcat Melissa Crombet hit an RBI single that would prove to be the game-winner.
Villanova (31-15-1) added two insurance runs off sophomore pitcher Dana Freiser later in the same inning. Although the Wildcats had no more scoring opportunities, it was too great a lead for the anemic Tiger offense to overcome.
Firepower
In the second game, Princeton had a better time at the plate, with seven hits. Although the Tigers only produced one run from that greater offensive output, one run was all they needed.
White and Galicinao combined to pitch 5.2 innings of no-hit ball. In her first start since Spring Break, White pitched four innings of near-perfect softball — and earned her first win of the season.
The no-hitter was broken up by a lone double off Galicinao in the sixth inning. The Tiger hurler, however, quickly ended the inning, leaving Villanova's solitary base runner stranded.
The Tigers scored their lone run of the day early. Junior centerfielder Lori Volker, the leadoff hitter, quickly got on base in the first inning.
Volker was brought home by an RBI single by junior catcher Devon Keefe. Keefe and Volker both had two hits in the second game.
Although the doubleheader produced mediocre results, there were some bright spots. The Tigers' pitching staff, depleted since Spring Break, is finally back to full strength.
Senior pitcher Sarah Peterman and Galicinao had been carrying the entire burden of throwing duties for much of the season.
A full bullpen will be important this weekend, as the Tigers host Robert Morris on Saturday and travel to Harvard on Sunday to make up an important doubleheader.
In order for the Tigers to have any chance at the Ivy title, they must defeat the Crimson. Although the Tigers must play four games in one day, with the return of White and Freiser to prime pitching form, the Tigers have a chance to hold their own.
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