Klausner's Shutout Lifts Softball Team to Split at St. Mary's

Wednesday, March 22

Moraga, Calif.

5:00 PM ET

Princeton University

3-8

Saint Mary's

12-17

Princeton

St. Mary's

Claire Klausner had a complete-game shutout in game two.

Klausner's Shutout Lifts Softball Team to Split at St. Mary's

March 22, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Senior Claire Klausner's shutout in the nightcap helped the Princeton softball team split a doubleheader with Saint Mary's Wednesday in California.

The Gaels took the opener 3-2 when a two-out single for St. Mary's' Abbey Mariani pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the 10th inning. St. Mary's pitcher Katie Moss retired the first nine she faced in game one before Megan Donahey started off the fourth inning with a single, but it was an inning later before the Tigers scored their first run. Marissa Reynolds led off the fifth with a double and took third on a passed ball, putting her in position for Keeley Walsh to tie the game with a sacrifice fly. The Gaels had gone ahead in the third when a Hannah Chew ground ball brought home a leadoff single by Nikki Alexander.

Neither team scored in the eighth when the international tiebreaker rule began, but both teams scored in the ninth. Reynolds singled home Allison Harvey, the tiebreaker runner, to put Princeton up 2-1 until St. Mary's' Erin McCoy did the same to score Cara DiMercurio. Princeton had the go-ahead run on third in the 10th with one out before a flyout and a strikeout ended the threat, and the Gaels won when Mariani picked up tiebreaker runner Dylan Linton for the win.

Riley Wilkinson took the loss in relief after coming on for starter Erica Nori in the ninth. Donahey, who went 3 for 4, and Reynolds, who went 2 for 4, accounted for all five of the Tigers' hits in game one.

Princeton took the lead in the first inning in game two. Donahey led off with a base hit and Kaylee Grant drove her home with a single after a sacrifice. In the third, Donahey again led off with a single and scored on a Harvey groundout after a Kylee Pierce single moved Donahey along. Princeton pushed the lead to 3-0 in the sixth when a Mikayla Blaska double brought home Kaitlyn Waslawski, who pinch ran affter Grant led off with a base hit.

Klausner picked up her third win after allowing six hits and a walk and striking out five for her first complete-game shutout since beating Rider as a rookie in 2014. Katlyn Whitt took the loss for the Gaels.

Donahey went 3 for 4 again in game two to finish 6 for 8 on the day while Grant went 2 for 4 in the nightcap and Blaska finished the second game 2 for 3.

Princeton will close its spring trip to California with a pair against San Jose State at Mission College in Santa Clara at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT Thursday. Live stats for the games can be found here for game one and here for game two.