Princeton University Athletics
Five Homers Power Cornell Past Princeton Softball, 7-1 and 4-1
April 24, 2004 | Softball
April 24, 2004
Stats
Princeton, N.J. - Wendy Bingham went 2 for 3 and scored Princeton's only run as the Princeton softball team lost the second game of an Ivy League doubleheader 4-1 to Cornell at the Class of 1895 Field. The Tigers lost the first game 7-1 in 12 innings when the Big Red scored six runs in the 12th to break a 1-1 tie after two.
Princeton fell to 20-19 overall and 6-6 in the Ivy League while Cornell (30-11 overall) moved ahead of the Tigers in the conference standings with a 7-4 record.
In Game One, Snyder struck out the first two batters of the first inning before facing Lauren May, who leads the entire Ivy League with a .440 batting average. May tripled to right center and scored when Melissa Heintz singled to center field for a 1-0 Cornell lead. The Tigers tied the game in the second on a Ty Ries sacrifice fly that scored pinch-runner Tiffany Wilson. Amanda Erickson singled to bring in Wilson, who advanced to second on Cristina Cobb-Adams's sac bunt and moved into scoring position when Snyder singled up the right side.
The Big Red nearly pulled ahead in the top of the seventh when Erin Murtha singled to right field and Melissa Cannon tried to move from second to home, but Melissa Finley's throw to catcher Ty Ries prevented the go-ahead run at home. Princeton flied out three times in the bottom of the seventh to force the game into extra innings.
After four more scoreless innings, Melissa Heintz hit a solo homer, her eighth this season, over the right centerfield fence on a 3-1 count with no outs to take the 2-1 lead in the top of the 12th. Caitlyn Warren singled and advanced on an error in right field, and Sandra Alvarez drove her home with a double to center field.
Amelia Runyan relieved Snyder on the mound and struck out one before the Big Red went on a hitting spree. Erin Kizer sent Warren home with a rocket to second base and Erin Sweeney walked to put two runners on as Kate Varde stepped to the plate. Varde capitalized with her sixth home run of the year for a 7-1 Cornell lead.
After a ground out and pop out in the bottom of the 12th, Snyder and Ries hit back-to-back outfield singles but another pop out stranded two to end the game. Cobb-Adams and Snyder each had two hits for Princeton, which finished with nine hits to Cornell's 11.
Snyder (9-11) struck out seven batters and gave up 10 hits and one walk in 11 innings while Sarah Sterman (15-7) earned the win with five strikeouts in all 12 innings.
The Big Red brought its hot bats into Game Two, when May doubled and Heintz hit her second home run of the day for a 2-0 Cornell lead in the top of the first. After three straight outs in the bottom of the first, Cannon hit a solo homer off the first pitch in the second inning and Varde did the same in the third for her second home run of the day and a 4-0 Cornell lead.
Bingham and Stephanie Steel singled to start the fourth and advanced on the first out of the inning, putting Bingham in scoring position. Cobb-Adams singled to the shortstop, whose throw to home was short and let Bingham slip by. The Tigers trailed 4-1 after four.
Finley (5-7) took the loss on the mound after pitching two innings while Calli Varner struck out four in the last five innings. The Tigers got just four hits off Cornell's Whitney Smith (10-3).
Princeton hosts Columbia in its final home doubleheader tomorrow, Sunday April 25 at 1 p.m.