Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Santa Clara (Stanford Invitational)
Santa Clara Tops Princeton Softball, 3-1
March 25, 2006 | Softball
March 26, 2006
Box Score
PALO ALTO, Calif. - After a tough 1-0 loss to host No. 5 Stanford on Saturday, the Princeton softball team (9-8) was felled again under the lights at the Smith Family Stadium in Palo Alto, Calif., at the Stanford Invitational. Santa Clara (11-18) handed the Tigers a 3-1 defeat, dropping the team to 7-5 on the spring trip.
Santa Clara went ahead 1-0 in the second inning on some observant baserunning from Shannon Linerud. After her leadoff walk, Ashley Blier grounded to short and the speedy Linerud went from first to third on the play just ahead of the throw across the diamond. But after she beat the throw to third, catcher Larkin Brogan came up with the ball halfway up the third-base line and with no one covering home, Linerud charged ahead and scored.
A pair of infield hits evened things up for Princeton in the third. Brianna Moreno beat out an infield single with one out and stole second. Stephanie Steel kept the inning alive by getting in ahead of the throw on another infield single, allowing Moreno to take third with two out. One rookie scored another as Kathryn Welch lined a single through the left side to tie the game.
But the tie didn't last long as Angela Kabanuck drove a fourth-inning leadoff double to the wall in centerfield and scored on a single to left by the next batter, Jessica Clee, for a 2-1 lead. The Broncos pushed the advantage to 3-1 in the sixth. Kabanuck had a one-out single to left and moved around to third thanks to a stolen base and Clee's deep fly ball for out number two. But before Princeton could get out of the inning, Linerud hurt the Tigers again with a single through the left side that easily scored Kabanuck, who was 3 for 3 for the game. The Tigers didn't get a runner past first base after the third inning as Santa Clara's Liz Courter (3-7) retired 13 of the last 14 batters she faced. Courter surrendered four Tiger hits with no walks, fanning eight.
Princeton starter Kristen Schaus (4-4) took the loss, giving up five hits and just one walk, earning all three Bronco runs and striking out 11.
The Tigers finish their California trip against Illinois on Sunday at 11 a.m. PT.