Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Southern Utah (Capital Classic Tournament)
Princeton Softball Completes Two-Win Saturday with 3-1 Defeat of Southern Utah
March 18, 2006 | Softball
March 18, 2006
Box Score
SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Extending its winning streak to four, the Princeton softball team (5-3) made it three victories in the first two days of the Captial Classic in Sacramento, Calif. on Saturday with a 3-1 defeat of Southern Utah (2-20). The Tigers scratched out just five hits, but it was enough as the Thunderbirds left eight on base and got only four hits off Princeton starter Calli Jo Varner (1-1) and sophomore Kristen Schaus, who earned the save. The win followed Schaus' five-inning no-hitter in an 8-0 win over Miami University earlier in the day.
Small-ball scored Princeton's first run in the top half of the opening frame after Cristina Cobb-Adams' leadoff double as Stephanie Steel and Kathryn Welch executed back-to-back sacrifice bunts to score Cobb-Adams. After the Tigers got only one of the next 13 batters on base, Varner doubled to lead off the fifth and took third on a throwing error by Southern Utah's catcher. Erin Snyder put Princeton ahead 2-0 with a sacrifice fly. In the sixth, Princeton opened its lead to 3-0 after Cobb-Adams, who had two of Princeton's five hits, doubled to start the inning and scored on a groundout and a bunt single by Welch, who had two of Princeton's three RBI.
Varner struck out the side in the first inning but got into a jam by walking the first two batters of the second. But the junior righthander preserved the Tigers' lead by getting a pop-up and striking out the next two, stranding both runners. Southern Utah loaded the bases with two outs in the third, but a groundout stranded all three and Princeton's tenuous advantage held. Varner retired five of the next six batters she faced in the fourth and fifth, but allowed a two-out line shot in the fifth inning to Southern Utah's Tiffany Burt that cleared the fence and halved the Tiger lead, 2-1, before ending the frame with a flyout. Varner gave way to Schaus to start the bottom of the sixth after she tied a career-high with eight strikeouts, allowing two hits and a run with five walks. After Schaus struck out 12 in five innings in her first appearance of the day, she continued baffling hitters by fanning six of the eight batters she faced to earn the first save of her career. The other two batters reached on infield hits.
Southern Utah starter Ashley Christiansen (0-6) left after the fifth, giving up three hits and two runs, one earned, without a walk or a strikeout. Corie Jensen threw the last two innings, allowing two hits and a run with two walks and three strikeouts.
The Tigers look to complete a perfect Capital Classic on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT against Nevada.