Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Louisiana State (NCAA Regional)
LSU Deals Princeton Softball Loss in Opening Game at NCAA Regional, 5-0
May 19, 2006 | Softball
May 19, 2006
Box Score
BATON ROUGE, La. - Before the game, Princeton head coach Maureen Barron said the team that didn't make the needless mistake Friday night in Louisiana would win in the Tigers' first NCAA Baton Rouge Regional game. She was absolutely right. Unfortunately for the Orange and Black, the Tigers were the team with the miscue. Erin Snyder (17-6) kept LSU silent through the first three frames, but a fourth-inning throwing error brought home Louisiana State's (52-12) first two runs in a 5-0 win.
Stephanie Steel had Princeton's (34-18) first hit, an infield single down the first base line that extended her hitting streak to 14 games. A pitch that hit Kathryn Welch two batters later gave Princeton two runners on with one out, but the Tigers left both. Princeton didn't get another runner into scoring position until the top of the fifth when a pair of singles from Jackie Araneo and Samantha O'Hara set up another two-on, one-out situation. Two flyouts ended that threat. Amanda Erickson doubled off the wall in left-center with two outs in the sixth, but was stranded with what turned out to be Princeton's last hit. As strong as Snyder was in the circle, setting down LSU's first 10 batters, LSU pitcher Dani Hofer (16-5) did what was needed to win. Hofer struck out seven with a walk and limited Princeton to four hits, not allowing a runner past second base until two were out in the sixth.
LSU finally got a runner on in the bottom of the fourth when Camille Harris was hit by Snyder's first pitch with one out. Leslie Klein followed up with a single through the left side on a 1-1 pitch, awakening the purple-and-gold-clad fans that packed Tiger Park to capacity. A called strikeout followed and Snyder was an out from wasting LSU's first two runners. It appeared that Princeton was out of the inning when Killian Roessner grounded one to Tiffany Andras at third, but Andras threw wide and just under the glove of Erickson at first and allowed both runners to score. Stephanie Hill followed with a single up the middle that scored Roessner from second, and an LSU team that entered the inning without having had a runner on base suddenly had a 3-0 lead.
LSU added to the lead in the fifth with a leadoff home run from Andrea Smith and Vanessa Soto added another solo home run in the sixth. Snyder finished with five runs on four hits, striking out four without a walk. She allowed more than two runs for just the second time in 22 starts, though only two runs were earned.
"LSU played a great game," Barron said. "They were swinging the bats really well. We were playing well in the game until we had a breakdown defensively and our errors at that point cost us the game. But I was proud of the way our girls came out."
In the double-elimination format, Princeton faces North Carolina State in a 4 p.m. contest Saturday at Tiger Park. The Wolfpack were defeated by Louisiana-Lafayette 2-0 in Friday's first game.