Coming off of a 2–1 loss against Harvard last weekend, Princeton softball (19–11, 8–4 Ivy League) swept a three-game series this weekend against Dartmouth (9–15, 5–7 Ivy League). With the sweep, the Tigers are now 23–22 against the Big Green since 2002. This series occurred during Princeton Pride Month and the first two games of the series were dubbed ‘Pride Game,’ as the Tigers displayed a pride flag in front of their dugout.
“The team was incredibly gritty this weekend,” head coach Lisa Van Ackeren wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “Dartmouth was mentally tough, but our squad committed to doing whatever it took to compete in each pitch, each inning, and in each game. Three very different types of wins in each game but I think each experience helped prepare us for what is ahead for us in the rest of the Ivy season.”
Fifth inning comeback leads to an 8–4 Tigers win in game one
Amid gusts of up to 31 miles per hour, the Tigers began the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday, April 13 against Dartmouth with fans clad in warm hats and blankets on the bleachers.
Across 4.2 innings, first-year pitcher Cassidy Shaw had three strikeouts, including a strikeout to begin the game. Shaw retired the first nine Dartmouth batters, before running into trouble in the Dartmouth half of the fourth inning.
For the Tigers, senior infielder Caitlin Bish’s single up the middle, which grazed Dartmouth pitcher Rachel McCarroll’s glove, allowed senior infielder Grace Jackson to score the first run of the series. Junior outfielder Lauren Sablone added a run in the third, homering to left for a two run Tiger lead.
Despite disagreement from Dartmouth fans and coaches with the call, the umpire gave junior Allison Ha a base for being hit by a pitch. After Dartmouth’s double play the following batter, Dartmouth fans screamed, “the ball don’t lie,” implying she should have been out in the first place.
In the top of the fourth, a Dartmouth RBI single kicked off a three-run rally for the Big Green. An RBI double by infielder Leila Hennessy plated two runs and gave the Big Green a 3–2 lead.
Dartmouth scored again in the fifth, and this time, the Tigers were up to scratch, scoring four runs to regain a lead that they would protect for the remainder of the game. These runs resulted from three RBI singles and a ground-out RBI off the bat of junior infielder Sophia Marsalo.
In the sixth, Sablone’s second homer of the game brought Bish over the plate, and gave Princeton a decisive 8–4 victory.
“I just went up there and I was not afraid to to fail,” Sablone told the ‘Prince.’ “I knew the person behind me had my back which instills a lot of confidence.”
End 6th | Princeton 8, Dartmouth 4
— Princeton Softball (@PUSoftball) April 13, 2024
WAY GONE! 🚀👋🥎
A TWO-HOMER DAY for Lauren Sablone!
💻: https://t.co/gpevtuKmf8 pic.twitter.com/GBQjQw1Ajw
Early runs lead to an 11–1 victory
After doubling Dartmouth’s runs half an hour before, Sablone said the Tigers were “coming in hot the second game and [knew] this is something we're more than capable of doing.”
The second game of the series began in the same fashion — with no Dartmouth players touching a base. The Tigers had two early singles but the inning ended in a double play hit by Ha.
In the top of the second, Dartmouth’s Allie Ohde was hit by junior Meghan Harrington’s pitch to get to first. After a catcher throwing error, she advanced to second followed by third, but was unable to score after the next two batters grounded out.
Princeton had two hits in the second and brought two runners home, more runs than Dartmouth would score for the rest of the game.
In the third, Dartmouth had one single and no runs. Cementing their lead in the bottom of the third, Princeton scored six runs. Sophomore infielder Julia Dumais’ homer brought Sablone home after her single. Four batters later, the bases were loaded after a walk and two singles. Senior utility player Cate Bade’s triple brought Jackson, Marsalo, and Ha home. Bish’s sacrifice fly allowed Bade to score, upping the score to 8–0 at the end of the inning.
End 3rd | Princeton 8, Dartmouth 0
— Princeton Softball (@PUSoftball) April 13, 2024
Cate Bade turns in a bases-clearing 3-RBI triple and Caitlin Bish brings home Cate with a sac fly! Tigers up 8-0 after 3!
💻: https://t.co/BbkH3cKR43 pic.twitter.com/oI2xfBB1gi
The fourth inning could not have gone worse for Dartmouth, with Harrington pitching two strikeouts sandwiched by a ground out. Princeton, however, scored at its first at-bat of the inning, with a homer from first-year infielder Sonia Zhang. Four more singles in the inning led to two more runs.
Dartmouth’s fifth inning homer gave them their only run of the game. With no other hits this inning, Dartmouth lost 11–1, as the run-ahead rule ended the game after five innings.
Dumais’ RBI double in sixth propels Tigers to 3–2 win in game three
In the first inning, three Dartmouth players were walked by Harrington, leading to a run after a ground out. The Tigers matched the efforts with a sacrifice fly to the right to let Zhang touch the plate.
In the bottom of the second, a fielding error by Dartmouth enabled Bade to advance to second and ultimately score an unearned run on a Bish single.
Dartmouth’s third inning double led to the final Dartmouth run of the series, while the Tigers left two runners on base in the bottom of the inning.
In the fifth, a Princeton single to left field advanced first-year infielder and pitcher Allie Goodwin to second but they could not capitalize, with Bade striking out looking.
Only three Dartmouth players stepped up to the plate in the sixth compared to the seven Tigers. A double from Dumais advanced Sablone to third and brought Zhang home for her second run of the game, giving the lead back to Princeton.
“I kind of just had a feeling that afternoon that Julia was gonna square up the ball,” Sablone said.
End 6th | Princeton 3, Dartmouth 2
— Princeton Softball (@PUSoftball) April 14, 2024
Big spot, Juju!
Julia Dumais gets the two-out RBI double to put us on top in the sixth!
💻: https://t.co/2Q4Qzxwnnl pic.twitter.com/u170wxZFfq
One final single for Dartmouth in the seventh was not enough to propel them to the win.
“We’re all really focused on each other and we're able to ride the positive momentum,” Sablone said. And ride that momentum they did, winning every game, outscoring Dartmouth 22–9.
On Wednesday, April 17, the Tigers will host Monmouth (14–27, 6–11 Coastal Athletic Association) for the final non-conference game of the season followed by a three-game series at Yale (17–20, 12–3 Ivy League) on April 20 and 21.
“Our best game is still in front of us and I’m looking forward to seeing what this special group of people can accomplish,” Van Ackeren wrote.
Andrew Bosworth is a head Data editor and Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send all corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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