Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Softball to Visit Rider Tuesday
March 30, 2015 | Softball
The Ivy League's Southern Division looks to be as competitive as ever after the first weekend of play, but the Tigers will take a break from league action for an afternoon to make the short trip to Rider for a single game Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Princeton is coming off a pair of 1-0 wins over Brown to open league play while the scheduled visit from Yale was postponed to April 22. Princeton will head to Dartmouth and Harvard Friday and Saturday when league play resumes.
The games are part of a busy stretch for the Broncs, who opened MAAC play Sunday at home against Monmouth before heading to Marist Monday. Following Princeton's visit Tuesday, the Broncs will host Delaware for a pair Wednesday before two days away from competition.
Last season, the teams played for the first time since 2007, with Princeton sweeping a pair at Rider. The teams met again this season for a single game in Liberty's tournament, which Princeton won 12-7. Princeton holds a nine-game winning streak in the series since Rider's last win in the back half of a doubleheader to close the 2004 season.
Alyssa Schmidt, who homered in Saturday's first game against Brown, paces Princeton at the plate with a .286 average, and the Tigers got a pair of outstanding pitching performances from Shanna Christian with a complete-game shutout in game one against the Bears and Meredith Brown with six shutout innings in relief in game two after Ashley LaGuardia kept Brown off the board in the opening frame. Brown now leads Princeton in ERA among pitchers with at least 10 innings pitched at 2.41.
Rider has five players hitting better than .300, led by Dana Sensi at .351 heading into Monday's visit to Marist. Three pitchers have combined to throw 104 of the team's 122 innings, with Delany DeMello's 3.56 ERA leading the team in 37 1/3 innings of work.
 Princeton |
Princeton at Rider |
 Rider |
| 9-13, 0-0 Ivy | Record |
6-13, 1-1 MAAC (at Marist Monday) |
| .225 | Team BA | .255 |
| .260 | Opponent BA | .334 |
| 3.08 | Team ERA | 5.15 |
| 2.99 | Opponent ERA | 3.43 |
| 2015, 12-7 at Liberty (holds nine-game series winning streak) | Last Win in Series | 2004, 6-3 in 5 innings at Rider |