Softball Gives up Four-Game Series to Undefeated Princeton Team

Coming into the weekend, the Princeton softball team (15-19, 12-0 Ivy) sat atop the Ivy League Southern Division with an 8-0 record, looking to clinch the division.

The Tigers looked every bit the part of a first place team as they swept the Columbia softball team (12-14, 3-9 Ivy) in four games to continue their 12-game win streak.

The Lions were not sharp early and had a pair of defensive lapses in the first inning. Starting pitcher Aimee Kemp mishandled a bunt that allowed Princeton leadoff hitter Brianna Moreno to reach base before third baseman Megan Weidrick took her yard for a two-run homer. After a single from shortstop Kathryn Welch, second baseman Chantee Dempsey’s error allowed Welch to score.

“It’s very important for us to come out early and set a tone and in the first inning of the first game, we had two very critical errors that really hurt us,” said head coach Kayla Noonan. “You have to do all the little things right to stay in the game.”

The Lions were consistently pounded for hits throughout the game and gave up three runs in each of the first three innings before allowing five runs in the sixth. Kemp was charged with her 10th loss of the year, after she allowed four runs—two earned—in two innings. Deanna Minuto gave up 10 runs in three innings pitched to finish the game.

Offensively, the Light Blue scored just two runs in the 14-2 defeat. Dempsey scored on a fielding error by Weidrick in the third inning, and Ciji Rich hit an RBI single in the fifth inning.

In the second game of the series, the Lions were shut out through seven innings of a 5-0 loss. Maggie Johnson picked up her seventh loss of the year, after allowing five earned runs in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Erica Clauss pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.

Columbia did not fare any better on Sunday, as it lost by a score of 13-1 in game one, and suffered its second shutout of the series in game two, finishing 5-0. Johnson experienced her worst outing of the year in the first game, allowing a season-high 13 earned runs off of 13 hits over 4 1/3 innings pitched. Kemp came in to record the final out in the fifth inning. Clauss allowed five earned runs off of 11 hits in the final game of the series, and fell to 0-2 on the season.

Noonan was not pleased with the team’s overall play, as the Lions were outscored 37-3 in the series.

“A lot of what happened was what Princeton did right... they are a very good team, 12-0 in league, I won’t deny that,” she conceded. “But we have to be better taking care of the little things on our end.”

The Light Blue takes the field this Tuesday in a nonconference matchup against Fairleigh Dickinson, a team it defeated in the Rebel Games tournament earlier this year. The first pitches for the games are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.