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Princeton University Athletics
Sunday, March 30
Class of 1895 Field
12:30 p.m.
Princeton University
5
vs
4
Harvard (Game 1)
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/3B
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
Softball Gets First Harvard Sweep Since 1996
March 30, 2008 | Softball
PRINCETON ? A week ago, the Princeton softball team was reeling, having lost 12 of 13 games on the annual spring trip, this year to California.
What a difference a week makes. The Tigers gutted out a pair of one-run wins over Harvard Sunday at Class of 1895 Field, 5-4 and 3-2, to sweep the Crimson for the first time since 1996.
Princeton is 4-0 in the Ivy League for the third straight year and for the second straight season, the positive start has come after a string of pre-conference defeats. A season ago, Princeton lost nine straight before opening Ivy play with a road sweep of Yale and Brown. This season, the Tigers lost their last 10 on the spring trip before finding their stroke just in time.
“The spring trip was about learning from our mistakes and learning about facing adversity,” Princeton coach Trina Salcido said.
Kelsey Quist, who had all three RBI in Princeton's comeback victory in the nightcap, concurred.
“It didn't matter how many games we lost on the spring trip,” Quist said. “The mentality that we had was what got us here today.”
Harvard drops to 7-14 on the season and 0-2 in Ivy play.
Princeton 5, Harvard 4 (Game 1)
Princeton won the opener 5-4 despite a tense seventh-inning comeback attempt by the Crimson.
The Tigers had a 5-2 lead with two out in the Harvard seventh and Princeton reliever Michelle Tolfa having retired 10 of the last 11 Crimson she faced. A walk, three singles and a misplayed ball at third base gave Harvard two runs and the bases loaded before a lineout allowed Tolfa (3-3) to secure the win.
Harvard had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the second in similar fashion on a walk, two singles and another error at third base before Princeton halved the deficit in its half of the inning. Beth Dalmut picked up Collette Abbott from second base for the first run and an inning later, the Tigers got all the runs they would need.
Kathryn Welch, who hit two home runs in the Saturday nightcap against Dartmouth, made it three on the weekend to tie it with one out in the third. A walk to Kelsey Quist and a Jamie Lettire single put runners on for Abbott, who lifted her second home run of the season to put the Tigers ahead 5-2.
Kristen Schaus started the game for Princeton and struck out four, giving up five hits in 3 1/3 innings. Tolfa fanned three and gave up three hits in her 3 2/3 innings of work.
Princeton 3, Harvard 2 (Game 2)
Quist made up at the plate two early Harvard runs in game two, netting two fifth-inning RBIs to fuel a 3-2 comeback win.
Princeton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with back-to-back doubles from Welch and Quist, but Harvard grabbed the lead back with three straight hits in the second.
The Crimson's 2-1 lead stood as Lettire (2-3) and Harvard's Dana Roberts (1-1) dueled through the middle innings, but Roberts blinked first. Following a leadoff double in the third inning, Lettire retired 15 of the last 16 Crimson she faced including the last seven. Lettire struck out five, didn't walk a batter and allowed only two hits in relief of Tolfa, who gave up three hits in her two innings of work.
Roberts allowed Princeton only a walk and a hit batter in the second through fourth innings before Megan Weidrick started a two-out rally in the fifth. Welch followed with a single to put the go-ahead run on base and Quist crushed a double to centerfield to score both.
The Tigers will take to the road next weekend for doubleheaders at Yale and Brown to close out the Ivy North portion of the schedule.
What a difference a week makes. The Tigers gutted out a pair of one-run wins over Harvard Sunday at Class of 1895 Field, 5-4 and 3-2, to sweep the Crimson for the first time since 1996.
Princeton is 4-0 in the Ivy League for the third straight year and for the second straight season, the positive start has come after a string of pre-conference defeats. A season ago, Princeton lost nine straight before opening Ivy play with a road sweep of Yale and Brown. This season, the Tigers lost their last 10 on the spring trip before finding their stroke just in time.
“The spring trip was about learning from our mistakes and learning about facing adversity,” Princeton coach Trina Salcido said.
Kelsey Quist, who had all three RBI in Princeton's comeback victory in the nightcap, concurred.
“It didn't matter how many games we lost on the spring trip,” Quist said. “The mentality that we had was what got us here today.”
Harvard drops to 7-14 on the season and 0-2 in Ivy play.
Princeton 5, Harvard 4 (Game 1)
Princeton won the opener 5-4 despite a tense seventh-inning comeback attempt by the Crimson.
The Tigers had a 5-2 lead with two out in the Harvard seventh and Princeton reliever Michelle Tolfa having retired 10 of the last 11 Crimson she faced. A walk, three singles and a misplayed ball at third base gave Harvard two runs and the bases loaded before a lineout allowed Tolfa (3-3) to secure the win.
Harvard had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the second in similar fashion on a walk, two singles and another error at third base before Princeton halved the deficit in its half of the inning. Beth Dalmut picked up Collette Abbott from second base for the first run and an inning later, the Tigers got all the runs they would need.
Kathryn Welch, who hit two home runs in the Saturday nightcap against Dartmouth, made it three on the weekend to tie it with one out in the third. A walk to Kelsey Quist and a Jamie Lettire single put runners on for Abbott, who lifted her second home run of the season to put the Tigers ahead 5-2.
Kristen Schaus started the game for Princeton and struck out four, giving up five hits in 3 1/3 innings. Tolfa fanned three and gave up three hits in her 3 2/3 innings of work.
Princeton 3, Harvard 2 (Game 2)
Quist made up at the plate two early Harvard runs in game two, netting two fifth-inning RBIs to fuel a 3-2 comeback win.
Princeton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with back-to-back doubles from Welch and Quist, but Harvard grabbed the lead back with three straight hits in the second.
The Crimson's 2-1 lead stood as Lettire (2-3) and Harvard's Dana Roberts (1-1) dueled through the middle innings, but Roberts blinked first. Following a leadoff double in the third inning, Lettire retired 15 of the last 16 Crimson she faced including the last seven. Lettire struck out five, didn't walk a batter and allowed only two hits in relief of Tolfa, who gave up three hits in her two innings of work.
Roberts allowed Princeton only a walk and a hit batter in the second through fourth innings before Megan Weidrick started a two-out rally in the fifth. Welch followed with a single to put the go-ahead run on base and Quist crushed a double to centerfield to score both.
The Tigers will take to the road next weekend for doubleheaders at Yale and Brown to close out the Ivy North portion of the schedule.
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