Blanchard's No-Hitter Highlights Softball Team's Sunday in Florida

Sunday, March 17

Clearwater, Fla.

10:00 AM

Princeton University

3-9

Towson

11-10

Towson

Princeton

Freshman Ali Blanchard had a no-hitter Sunday in Florida.

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

Blanchard's No-Hitter Highlights Softball Team's Sunday in Florida

March 17, 2019 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Freshman Ali Blanchard's no-hitter in an 8-0, six-inning win over Towson highlighted the last of two days for the Princeton softball team at the USF-Michelle Smith Pediatric Cancer Spring Invitational at the Eddie C. Moore Softball Complex in Clearwater, Fla.

It's the second consecutive year a Tiger rookie has thrown a no-hitter, with both coming in the same event. Current sophomore Allie Reynolds no-hit Florida A&M in the same tournament a year ago. Along with being Blanchard's first no-hitter as a Tiger, it was also the rookie's first career win with Princeton.

"I didn't realize that it was a no-hitter until the game was over and people were like, oh, congrats on your no-hitter," Blanchard said. "I think we're all definitely ready for the (Ivy League) games to start. It does feel like we just started, but I think that everybody is prepared to play for real, for the Ivy League now."

The only baserunners Towson had were on three walks, with just one of those getting as far as second base on a third-inning sacrifice fly. Blanchard struck out seven, with six of those coming between the fourth and sixth innings.

Princeton used a Megan Donahey base hit, a walk to Kaylee Grant, an Allison Harvey sacrifice and an error off a ball hit by Keeley Walsh to pick up two first-inning runs, and the lead grew to 3-0 in the third when a leadoff Walsh hit and stolen base preceded an error off a Blanchard-hit ball two batters later.

Princeton pushed the lead to 6-0 after Donahey, Grant and Harvey each reached consecutively, Donahey and Harvey on singles and Grant on a walk. With the bases full, a Walsh sacrifice fly pushed home one run, and then Alex Colón had a pinch-hit two-run single.

Princeton's final two runs came home in the sixth when Donahey, who finished 4 for 4, Grant and Harvey each had base hits, with an error and Harvey's two RBI in the inning forcing the run rule.

Against North Florida, Princeton scored first in the top half of the opening inning when Donahey started off with a single and Walsh brought her home with a two-out hit, but North Florida answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning on two base hits and a walk. The Ospreys added another in the second inning on a pair of errors, and UNF pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fourth on a leadoff base hit, an error and back-to-back sacrifices.

The Ospreys invoked the run rule with a five-run sixth on two walks, two doubles and a two-run home run.

The Tigers will be off from competition Monday and will head to Stetson north of Orlando Tuesday for two as the spring trip to Florida continues.