Softball: Team travels to Harvard, Dartmouth for doubleheaders

The Tigers are coming off two walk-off wins last weekend, including a dramatic win over Yale that ended with a home run by sophomore catcher Sarah Rounsifer, who is batting .333 this season.

“The walk-off wins were an awesome way to gain momentum,” Rounsifer said. “They really proved that when the game is on the line, we can step up as a team and perform.”

Princeton is currently tied for third overall in the Ivy League, but it is only one game behind Cornell for first place in the Southern Division.

The mound has been anchored this season by senior Michelle Tolfa and sophomores Alex Peyton and Liza Kuhn. At the plate, the Tigers rely on a balanced offensive attack. Junior third baseman Kelsey VandeBergh and Peyton lead the team with four home runs apiece. Sophomore outfielder Lizzy Pierce is batting .333 while slugging .571.

“The number one priority right now is finishing games,” Rounsifer added. “We have great hitters on the team and produced a lot of runs, but we need to close out the game when we have the lead.”

Harvard boasts a formidable lineup, with second baseman Ellen Macadam leading the team with six home runs. She also leads the Ivy League with 27 runs scored while batting .441 with a .495 on-base percentage.

Third baseman Kasey Lange is batting .366 and leads the Ivy League with 28 RBIs. Rachel Brown takes on the bulk of the mound duties, posting a miniscule 1.69 ERA in 103.1 innings of work and an Ivy League-best 178 strikeouts.

As a team, the Crimson lead the Ivy League with a .290 batting average and 2.38 ERA.

“To be successful, we need to come out the first inning playing hard and try to get ahead and stay ahead,” Peyton said. “With Harvard’s good pitching, we need to play solid defense and not take ourselves out of games by making errors.”

Evan Gray shares the pitching duties with Hillary Barker for the Dartmouth squad. Gray is 3-5 this season with a 4.03 ERA, while Barker is 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA on the mound.

Barker is also batting .417 in 13 games this year, best on the Big Green.

“We definitely have the ability to beat both Harvard and Dartmouth,” Rounsifer said. “It’s going to come down to who is the most mentally prepared and willing to fight for the W. Both teams are solid both defensively and offensively, but with our desire to win, I know we can sweep.”