Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Softball to Wrap Spring Trip at Stanford Tournament
March 19, 2009 | Softball
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- The Princeton softball team has Thursday off, but the Tigers will hit the field again Friday to begin a five-game, three-day stretch at a Stanford-hosted tournament.
Princeton (4-5) is hitting .305 as a team with senior Kathryn Welch's .455 batting average with 10 RBIs as team-bests. Four other Tigers, including both freshmen in Nicole Ontiveros (.429) and Kelsey VandeBergh (.313) are hitting .300 or better. All 12 Princeton batters are hitting at least .217 and all have at least three hits. Three Tigers have logged innings in the circle this season with sophomore Michelle Tolfa tossing 46 of those 60 innings.
Winthrop (8-12) will start Princeton's weekend in Palo Alto at 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time Friday and end the trip at 9 a.m. Sunday. The Eagles, who will head into the weekend having dropped seven of their last nine games, are led at the plate by senior outfielder Lisa Kingsmore, a Toronto-area native who is hitting .422 on a team that is batting .279 as a whole. The Eagles also carry just three pitchers and also count on one, another Ontario native in Megan Evans, to carry most of the load. The junior Evans has thrown 73 of the team's 129 innings. Princeton is 2-0 against Winthrop all-time with both games coming on the Eagles' home field in 1996 and 1997.
Stanford (24-1) is ranked fourth in the NFCA and USA Softball polls and boasts the nation's longest winning streak at 23 games, which it will bring into its 6 p.m. meeting Friday with the Tigers. The Cardinal is hitting .324 as a team led by junior outfielder Alissa Haber at .494. Senior Missy Penna has tossed 103 of the team's 161 innings as only she and sophomore Ashley Chinn have pitched this season. Princeton is 1-2 all-time against Stanford, winning in 2005 but losing in 2006 and 2008, all at Stanford.
Pacific (12-12), which will meet Princeton at 11:15 a.m. PT Saturday, is hitting .298 as a team and is led by sophomore Nicole Matson at .395. Four pitchers have thrown this season with senior Chelsea Engle as the innings leader. Engle got a win over Princeton last season as the Tigers were swept in a doubleheader on Pacific's home field. The Tigers hold a 3-2 record against Pacific all-time, winning the first meeting in 2004 in Fullerton, Calif., before sweeping a doubleheader at Pacific the following season. Pacifc responded with a doubleheader sweep last season.
Santa Clara (4-17) will face the Tigers at 6 p.m. PT Saturday. The Broncos count freshman outfielder Briana Knight as their only batter hitting above .300 at .356. Three pitchers have shouldered the load for Santa Clara this season with sophomore Jenna Fong throwing 64 of the team's 120 innings. Princeton is 0-2 against Santa Clara all-time, losing a game in 2005 in San Jose and in 2006 at Stanford.
Following the tournament, Princeton will begin Ivy League play at Class of 1895 Field against Yale and Brown next weekend.