Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Yale (Game 1)
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Rounsifer's Walk-Off Preserves Softball Split with Yale
April 03, 2011 | Softball
The Bulldogs took the first game 9-0 in six innings, while the Tigers won the second game 13-12 on a seventh-inning walk-off home run by sophomore Sarah Rounsifer.
Cornell split with Brown Sunday and remained atop the Ivy South at 3-1 ahead of Princeton at 2-2 and Penn at 2-2 after the Quakers swept Dartmouth Sunday. Harvard swept Columbia to drop the Lions to 0-4.
Overall, Princeton moved to 10-14 on the season while Yale is now 7-13.
Thanks to its sweep of Columbia and Penn's two wins over Dartmouth, Harvard is the Ivy's only league-undefeated team and at 4-0 leads the Ivy North by two games over Dartmouth and Brown at 2-2 each, while Yale stands at 1-3.
Rounsifer's walk-off was the first game-winning home run for Princeton anywhere since April 13, 2009, when Jamie Lettire '10 hit one at '95 Field against Columbia to win a game 5-4.
Yale used a big third inning in the opener to propel it to a seven-run lead and two more runs in the top of the sixth to put the lead over the eight-run threshold to potentially end the game early.
Alex Peyton (2-8) took the loss for Princeton while Chelsey Dunham allowed Princeton just three hits and a walk in the complete-game victory.
Princeton never trailed in the second game, but the win was far from assured. Despite a seven-run fourth inning that put Princeton three outs from ending the game early with a 9-1 lead, Yale roared back with seven runs of its own in the top of the fifth to make it 9-8.
The Tigers were one out from ending it in the seventh inning, but McKynlee Westman drove home the tying run for Yale to make it 12-12 before Princeton reliever Liza Kuhn (5-2) got the final out to preserve the tie.
The deadlock didn't last long, as on a 2-1 count, Rounsifer put Dunham's (5-8) offering over the centerfield fence to give Princeton the win. It was Rounsifer's first home run of her sophomore season after she hit four as a freshman last season.
During Princeton's seven-run fourth inning, junior Kelsey VandeBergh had the first Tiger grand slam at '95 Field in three years. It was her second grand slam both of the season and her career, the other coming on March 16 at Georgetown. The grand slam was Princeton's third of the season, as freshman Tory Roberts also had one on March 5 against Iona.
It was the first grand slam for a Princeton player at '95 Field since April 27, 2008, when Kathryn Welch '09 hit one against Cornell.
Princeton's 13 runs in the nightcap were its most since April 13, 2008 at Columbia in a 13-1, five-inning win, and its most at home since a 16-0, five-inning win over Yale on April 9, 2006.
Princeton will have just two days away from competition before facing Lehigh for a pair Wednesday at '95 Field beginning at 3 p.m. The Tigers will head to Harvard and Dartmouth next weekend to continue the Ivy schedule.