%20(1).png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Brown (Game 1)
Players Mentioned
Princeton Softball Sweeps Brown to Open Ivy League Season
March 31, 2007 | Softball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The Princeton softball team scratched out a pair of victories at Brown Saturday to open the Ivy League season. The Tigers scored a pair in the sixth to win the opener 2-0 before winning 4-3 in eight innings in the nightcap.
Princeton improved to 11-18 overall and 2-0 in the Ivy League. Brown is 6-13 overall, 0-2 in league play.
Game 1: Princeton 2, Brown 0
Both Princeton hits came in the run-scoring sixth inning and Kristen Schaus put on a strong performance in the circle in a 2-0 Princeton win.
Schaus allowed only three hits, two in the infield, and two walks as the Tigers survived three errors to win the Ivy League opener. She fanned eight with two walks, improving to 5-8 on the year.
Brown had three baserunners through the first four innings and came up empty, but the Bears threatened in the fifth. Benefitting from a dropped pop-up, a misjudged fly in the infield and another short single, Brown loaded the bases with one out. But Princeton got out of it thanks to a liner by the Bears' Kaitlyn Laabs to Kathryn Welch at shortstop, who threw to third base to get the runner off the bag and end the inning.
Princeton's first hit didn't come until the top of the sixth, but Jackie Araneo did her best to make it count with a leadoff double to the fence in left-center. She made it to third on a one-out sacrifice and scored on a wild pitch, getting in just in time to disrupt the throw.
The wild pitch was quickly of little consequence, thanks to Collette Abbott. The Princeton freshman dropped a shallow hit to leftfield, where Brown's Laabs dove for it and missed. The ball bounced all the way to the fence and Abbott hustled a 240-foot square for an inside-the-park home run for her second round-tripper of the year.
Brown starter Jessica Iwasaki (0-3) walked two in addition to the two hits, fanning a pair and earning both runs.
Game 2: Princeton 4, Brown 3 (8 inn.)
Jamie Lettire helped herself pick up a win in the second game, belting an RBI double in the eighth inning as Princeton prevailed, 4-3.
Princeton scored first in the top of the third, capitalizing on a dropped fly ball that allowed Tiger pitcher Jamie Lettire to stroll into second. After a sacrifice, Beth Dalmut dropped a single into left and Lettire scored.
But Brown tied the game in the bottom half of the inning when Liz Anderson snuck a leadoff double just inside the leftfield line and scored on a shallow single by Kaitlyn Laabs.
Princeton pulled ahead two innings later when Erin Miller led off with a walk and Stephanie Steel doubled her home.
Just as quickly, though, the game was tied again. Brittany Lavine worked a one-out walk, and following a two-out single by Laabs, Amy Baxter singled to shallow left-center to score Lavine from third.
Brown took the lead for the first time on the day in the sixth, using a well-placed leadoff single to center by Katie Rothamel and a shot up the middle by Kelsey Peterson to move ahead, 3-2.
A third tie was quickly in the works. With one out, Stephanie Steel lifted a ball to rightfield, where it tipped off the glove of Brown's Anderson, allowing Steel to scramble to third. Brianna Moreno put down an infield single to score Steel and Brown third baseman Whitney Lewis fired the ball wide of first base trying to get Moreno, and the Tiger sophomore advanced to third.
The following batter, Collette Abbott, hit back to the pitcher and Moreno ran home but was called out for the second out of the inning. A strikeout ended the threat, and the game stood tied at 3-3.
Brown quickly got into position to win it in the bottom of the seventh Andrea Browne singled and stole second before the ball made its way back to the circle. After a sacrifice, Browne stood on third with the winning run and one out.
Laabs lifted a fly to leftfield, but it was too shallow to score the run. After a walk, a pop-up sent Princeton to extra innings for the first time in 2007.
Jackie Araneo reached as the second batter of the eighth inning when her grounder erased a Kathryn Welch single on the basepaths, just before Lettire slammed her double to the centerfield fence. Araneo scampered home from first and Princeton went ahead, 4-3.
Lettire (3-4) survived a single and hit batter in the eighth to secure the win. She allowed nine hits and three walks, striking out four and earning Brown's three runs.
Brown starter Michelle Moses (2-6) gave up 10 hits and a walk, striking out six and earning three of Princeton's four runs.
The Tigers will play at Yale Sunday at noon in another Ivy League doubleheader.