Princeton University Athletics
NCAA-Bound Princeton Softball Closes Regular Season with Sweep of Rider
May 06, 2006 | Softball
May 6, 2006
Game 1 Box | Game 2 Box
LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. - Next stop: NCAA tournament. Closing out a 7-1 post-Ivy stretch, the Princeton softball team (33-16) swept Rider (23-26) Saturday afternoon in Lawrenceville, 3-0 and 6-0. The Tigers now have eight days of waiting before the NCAA draw is announced May 14 and 13 days until the NCAA Regionals begin May 19. Cristina Cobb-Adams led Princeton at the plate Saturday going 5 for 8 while Erin Snyder and Kristen Schaus each got a win and Calli Jo Varner saved both games.
GAME ONE
Princeton manufactured its first run in the third. Converting a leadoff single by Cobb-Adams, Snyder lifted a sacrifice fly to right three batters later to score her fellow senior. The Tigers added another in the fourth as Varner came around on Stephanie Steel's one-out single after leading off the frame with a double. The lead became 3-0 in the fifth. Snyder lined a one-out single up the middle and after a wild pitch and a groundout, came home when Rider shortstop Katy Mills couldn't pick Jackie Araneo's grounder.
Snyder (16-5) left after the fifth, allowing three hits without a walk with 12 strikeouts. Entering the week with the fifth-highest average of strikeouts per seven innings in Division I at 11.9, Snyder boosted that number to 12.0 with Saturday's outing. Varner came on for the last two innings, retiring the Broncs in order with three strikeouts for her first save of ther season. For Rider, Lauren Brunner (3-7) allowed eight hits and three runs, two earned, with a walk and three strikeouts. Offensively for the Tigers, Cobb-Adams was 3 for 4 and Varner was 2 for 3.
GAME TWO
Beth Dalmut took advantage of Snyder getting hit on the foot by a pitch, knocking a line shot over the fence in right in the second inning for a 2-0 Princeton lead, her third home run of the year. Three more runs came across in the third with the help of four Rider errors, three hits and two hit batters with no Tiger batter picking up an RBI. That chased Heather Beintema (16-10) from the game after allowing five runs, four earned, on four hits, with no walks and a strikeout.
Schaus (16-8) struck out eight batters in four innings of work before giving way to Varner for the fifth, allowing two hits and two walks. Varner picked up her second save of the season and of the day, allowing four hits and striking out one in three innings of work.
Princeton's final run came across in the seventh. Amanda Erickson led off with a double and came home two batters later on a groundout to put the Tigers ahead 6-0. Jessica Holland finished the game in the circle for Rider, allowing four hits and a run in four innings of work, striking out two without a walk. Erickson led the Tigers at the plate with a 3 for 4 game and Cobb-Adams had two hits as well. Dalmut had three RBI.
Princeton will learn of its NCAA tournament destination Sunday, May 14 at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNEWS.