Princeton University Athletics
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Another Pivotal Ivy Series Ahead for Softball at Penn
April 16, 2015 | Softball
Video: Ivy League Digital Network | Twitter: @PUSoftball & @putigers_live
Princeton's first weekend of divisional play in the Ivy South couldn't have gone better, but it only raises the stakes for what's to come this weekend.
Princeton and Penn find themselves tied for first in the Ivy South, with Princeton at 6-4 and two games in hand and Penn at 7-5. Those two games will happen Thursday, April 22 at 2 p.m. against Yale at '95 Field.
Saturday's doubleheader at Penn will start at 4 p.m. and Sunday's pair will start at 2 p.m. back at Penn.
But before the Tigers get there, they'll have to take on a Penn squad that has ruled the series of late despite Princeton's advantage all-time. Penn has taken at least three of the four games every year since 2009, with Princeton taking three of four in its Ivy title season of 2008. Princeton started the all-time series winning 32 of the first 33 meetings through 1999 and 45 of the first 47 through 2006. From 2007 on, Penn has won 22 of 32 games against Princeton.
Penn and Princeton have played four of the same teams so far this season, but collectively the results don't point in either direction. Lehigh shut out Penn for 12 innings over two games while Princeton and Lehigh battled to a 7-6, 11 inning decision for the Mountain Hawks. But while Princeton was swept at Harvard, Penn swept the Crimson in Philadelphia, putting up 25 runs. Princeton was swept at Dartmouth, while Penn split with the Big Green in Philadelphia. Princeton swept Brown in a pair of 1-0 games at Bordentown, N.J., while Brown swept Penn in Providence.
Quaker players are among the leaders in various statistical categories on offense, with Jurie Joyner (28), Alexis Sargent (26) and Lauren Li (24) have three of the top four RBI totals in the league, and Li has a league-best three triples. The Quakers also have the league's top strikeout pitcher, with Alexis Borden's 116 Ks standing 18 more than any other Ivy pitcher.
Joyner is Penn's top hitter at a .430 batting average with a team-best nine doubles and six home runs. Li is also hitting better than .400 at .418, pacing a team with a .287 average. Though the Quakers have used six pitchers this season, Borden accounts for 109 of the team's 212 innings with a 7-10 record and 3.52 ERA.
Like Penn, Princeton has several choices in the circle. While freshman Ashley LaGuardia's 83 innings of the team's 215 frames still lead the club, Shanna Christian has thrown 56 innings with a 2.62 ERA and a 4-5 record. LaGuardia is a team-best 5-9 with a 3.29 ERA. At the plate, Alyssa Schmidt stands at an even .300, sharing the team lead with six doubles. Senior classmate Rachel Rendina will bring a team-high five-game hitting streak into the weekend.
Here is a look at the Tigers and the Quakers:
 Princeton |
Princeton vs. Penn |
 Penn |
| 14-19, 6-4 Ivy | Record |
16-16, 7-5 Ivy |
| .245 | Team BA | .287 |
| .265 | Opponent BA | .291 |
| 3.29 | Team ERA | 3.64 |
| 3.07 | Opponent ERA | 4.06 |
| 55 | All-Time Wins in Series | 22 |