Softball surges to 4-0 Ivy record

Before the softball team broke its huddle to take the field for the second game of its makeup doubleheader yesterday at 1895 Field, the Tigers shouted, "Score first!"

This strategy proved as successful in the second game as it had been in the first, as Princeton (15-17 overall, 4-0 Ivy League) swept Yale, 3-1 and 6-2.

These wins took the Tigers to an undefeated 4-0 record in the Ivy League for the first time since 1996.

"We're really excited about the Ivy League," junior catcher Devon Keefe said. "It gives us a lot of momentum."

Although the first few innings have been problematic for the Tigers this year, in both games of the doubleheader, Princeton scored early.

"We did a really nice job hitting today," head coach Cindy Cohen said. "The offense really took the pressure off our pitchers and our defense."

In the second game, with the score knotted at 1-1 after a strong second inning by the Elis (13-15-1, 2-2), Keefe untied the score with a solo home run in the third. Keefe went 3 for 4 in the second game.

Contagious

In the next inning, the Tiger offense sprung to life. Successive hits by freshman second baseman Mackenzie Forsythe and junior center fielder Lori Volker led up to sophomore shortstop Kim Veenstra's at-bat.

Veenstra doubled to center, scoring Forsythe and sending Volker to third base. Then junior third baseman Lauren Poniatowski — the team's RBI leader — hit a long double, scoring Volker and Veenstra, bringing the game to 5-1 in the Tigers' favor.

In the face of this offensive onslaught, the Elis replaced pitcher Mariah Fike with Cara Denver, who was left to face Keefe, ensuring that she would fare little better than her predecessor.

Keefe's single was turned into a double by a Yale error, scoring Poniatowski to make the score 6-1. Denver was able to get the last two outs to end the inning, but the damage had already been done.

Despite several defensive lapses in the later innings, Princeton's lead was too great to overcome.

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"It was important that we stayed calm offensively, because it allowed us to play through the errors we made defensively," sophomore pitcher Brie Galicinao said.

Although the first game saw less offense than the high-scoring second, it was hard hitting that gave the Tigers a win behind a two-hitter thrown by senior pitcher Sarah Peterman.

"Offensively, we came alive today," Keefe said.

Sophomore designated player Sarah Jane White scored in the third inning off an RBI-single by Volker, and Keefe scored in the fourth inning. Galicinao's single RBI in the sixth scored Keefe and secured the win.