Softball Team Comes Closer to Clinching Ivy South, Sweeping Two From Columbia

Friday, April 21

Princeton, N.J.

2:00 PM

Princeton University

19-15, 11-2

Columbia

18-21, 7-6

Columbia

Princeton

Allison Harvey drove in seven runs in Friday's doubleheader sweep of Columbia.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Softball Team Comes Closer to Clinching Ivy South, Sweeping Two From Columbia

April 21, 2017 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Taking another step closer to clinching the Ivy South division, the Princeton softball team swept a pair from Columbia Friday at the Class of 1895 Field, 9-6 and 8-0 in five innings.

The three other Ivy League series are all Saturday-Sunday. Heading into Saturday's play, the Tigers (12-2 Ivy) stand five games up on Columbia (7-7) and six up on Penn (5-7). A sweep Saturday, or a win and one Penn loss to Cornell, would clinch the division.

The wins also lifted Princeton's lead over Dartmouth (9-3 Ivy) to two games, at least temporarily, for the right to host the Ivy League Championship Series.

Princeton and Columbia will meet again Saturday at 12:30 p.m. at '95 Field to close the series.

In Friday's first game, Princeton had to rally after a pair of early solo home runs from the Lions. Sommer Grzybek and Taylor Troutt staked Columbia to a 2-0 lead after homers in the second and third, and Princeton got one back in the bottom of the third when singles from Kylee Pierce and Allison Harvey put two on for Marissa Reynolds, whose grounder to second was misplayed and allowed Pierce to score.

The Tigers took the lead in the fourth with a two-out rally, getting three straight singles from Keeley Walsh, Alex Viscusi and Haley Hineman to take a 3-2 lead. Allison Harvey then hit a three-run home run to put Princeton up 5-2.

Bonnie Schipper hit a two-run home run to bring Columbia within 5-4 in the top of the sixth, but the Lions never closed the gap. Megan Donahey and Pierce started the sixth with base hits, and Harvey doubled both home for a 7-4 lead that became 9-4 when Marissa Reynolds followed it a two-run home run.

Columbia got two back on its fourth home run of the day, this time from Krystin Wong, to get within 9-6 in the top of the seventh, but starter Claire Klausner and, for the final out, reliever Riley Wilkinson, closed the door.

Harvey finished the first game 3 for 3 with five RBI, the most for any Tiger in a game this season. Donahey and Pierce also had three hits apiece as the top three in the Princeton lineup went 9 for 11 in the opener.

Starter Madison Canby, one of three arms for the Lions in game one, took the loss.

In game two, Princeton needed no rally, scoring in four of its five at-bats. A Harvey walk and a Reynolds double set up Kaylee Grant fro a two-run single for a 2-0 lead. In a four-run second, Danielle Dockx doubled home a leadoff single by Kaitlyn Waslawski, and a hit-by-pitch to Alex Viscusi and walks to Donahey. Kelsey Smith and Harvey forced in two more runs. Princeton pushed the lead to 6-0 when a ball off Grant's bat came home but on a low throw, allowing Donahey to score.

The Tiger lead became 7-0 in the third when Smith singled home a Dockx leadoff double, and in the fifth, Harvey singled home a Donahey base hit to end the game thanks to the eight-run rule.

Erica Nori allowed just a hit and two walks in her five innings of work, striking out six to improve to 8-1 on the season. Erin Gallo took the loss for the Lions.