Softball Team Splits Pair on First Day in Florida

Saturday, March 16

Clearwater, Fla.

9:00 AM

Princeton University

2-8

Butler

8-15

Butler

Princeton

Kaylee Grant had a three-hit game in Saturday's second game.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

March 16, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

The first of two days at the USF-Michelle Smith Pediatric Cancer Spring Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla., was a split for the Princeton softball team, with the Tigers defeating Butler 6-4 before a 9-4 loss to Buffalo.

Against Butler, Princeton used a leadoff walk to Megan Donahey and a Kaylee Grant RBI double to pick up a run in the first, and an error and a Keeley Walsh RBI double got Princeton out to a 2-0 lead in the third.

Butler struck back for four in the fourth when three base hits set up Claire Gilliland for a grand slam, but Princeton answered back in the fifth when a walk and an error put runners on for another Walsh RBI double before Alex Viscusi drove home another run with a ground ball and Ali Blanchard singled two more home as Princeton got two hits, a hit batter, a walk and an error in the inning for the 6-4 lead.

Allie Reynolds got the win and Riley Wilkinson threw the final inning and a third for the save.

Against Buffalo, Princeton got out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Donahey and Grant singles put two on for Allison Harvey to drive them both home with a double, and the lead grew to 3-0 in the second when Grant picked up a Mackenzie Meyer double with a two-out base hit. Grant ended up going 3 for 4 in the day's second game.

Though Ali Blanchard struck out seven over the first four innings while giving up two walks and two hits, Buffalo got on the board in the fourth when an error, a stolen base and a base hit added up to a run. The Bulls then took the lead in the fifth with three runs on three hits, a walk and a sacrifice fly, and after Princeton got a run back in the sixth when Haley Hoffman cashed in a Walsh base hit with a double, Buffalo got five in its half of the sixth on four walks and two doubles.

Princeton will play two more at the softball complex in Clearwater Sunday, with a 10 a.m. game against Towson and a 12:15 p.m. game against North Florida. Live stats for the North Florida game will be available here.