Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Columbia (Game 1)
Players Mentioned
Softball Swept by Columbia in Sunday's Twinbill
April 24, 2011 | Softball
PRINCETON -- Princeton's softball team fell just short in the first game against Columbia Sunday before running into a no-hit pitching performance by the Lions' Maggie Johnson in the nightcap.
Columbia took the opener 5-3 and the second game 2-0. The sweep lifts the Lions into third place in the Ivy South division at 5-9 and 15-24 overall, one game back of second-place Penn at 6-8. Cornell leads the division at 9-5 and will host Penn in a twinbill Monday to complete that series, while Princeton and Columbia will meet again Tuesday at the Class of 1895 Field at 3 p.m. for a pair.
Tuesday's start time was changed from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. following Sunday's games.
Prophet Gaspard (11-10) limited the Tigers to five hits in the opener while her team scored five runs between the fifth and sixth innings to take the game.
Nicole Ontiveros' two-run double in the second inning, coupled with a run-scoring single from Megan Weidrick earlier in the frame, staked the Tigers and Michelle Tolfa (3-6) to a 3-0 lead before the Lions ralled to tie it on three hits, a walk and two batters reaching on errors in the fifth. Two walks, two hits and another error in the sixth, all with two outs, helped the Lions take a 5-3 lead.
Princeton put together a rally in the bottom of the seventh, using a leadoff hit-by-pitch to Maddie Cousens, a two-out Austin Sanders single and Ontiveros reaching on a failed fielder's choice to load the bases, but the Lions got a flyout to end the threat and seal the win.
Columbia's Anne Marie Skylis had a run-scoring single in the third inning and a failed fielder's choice allowed another run to score in the fifth, giving Maggie Johnson (4-14) more than enough for the win. Princeton had a walk in the third, another walk and a fielder's choice in the fourth, and Ontiveros reaching on a dropped throw at first in the sixth as its baserunners in the nightcap. The Tigers' Alex Peyton (4-12) gave up eight hits in the loss.