Sunday, May 1
New York, N.Y.
12:30 PM
Princeton University
25-14-2, 17-4
6
at
1
Columbia
12-26, 8-13
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Princeton
0
1
0
0
2
2
1
6
7
0
Columbia
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
5
2
Outright Ivy Title, Ivy Playoff Series Coming to Princeton as Tigers Sweep
May 01, 2022 | Softball
Sweeping each of its final three Ivy League weekends, the Princeton softball team closed out an outright Ivy League title and ensured that the Ivy League Playoff Series will be played in Princeton, completing the third of those consecutive weekend sweeps on Sunday with a 6-1 win at Columbia.
The Tigers will host either Harvard or Dartmouth for one game on May 13 and at least one on May 14 as part of the best-of-three Playoff Series, which will decide the Ivy League's automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament the following weekend. NCAA selections will be announced on May 15.
Princeton clinched its 20th Ivy League championship, the most of any program in the league, with Saturday's doubleheader sweep. It was Princeton's third Ivy title in the last five awarded, and the Ivy League Playoff Series will be coming to Princeton for the second time in the last four league seasons, with Princeton hosting the then-Ivy League Championship Series in 2017 against Harvard. It will be Princeton's fourth ILCS/ILPS trip since the series began in 2007, with each of the previous three (2008, 2016, 2017) coming against Harvard and ending in Princeton wins all three times.
Princeton's 17-4 Ivy record is the best for any team in the league since Dartmouth went 18-2 in 2013, and it is Princeton's most league wins since going 18-2 in 2008.
Harvard has the inside track to the second Playoff Series spot after its win over Dartmouth on Sunday, which not only put the Crimson (13-5) a game up in the standings but gave Harvard the tiebreaker over Dartmouth (12-6) if the teams finish even. Both teams have a series to play against Cornell, Harvard on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ithaca and Dartmouth next Saturday and Sunday in Hanover. If Harvard takes at least two of three from the Big Red, it will clinch the second Playoff Series bid, regardless of what Dartmouth does next weekend.
Princeton would have some scoreboard watching to do if it hadn't defeated Columbia on Sunday, but the win ensured that no other Ivy team could get to 17 league wins. The Tigers scored five of their six runs over the final three innings to pull away and lock up the top spot in the league.
Princeton scored first, with Grace Jackson getting a one-out single and coming home two batters later when a throw off a Cate Bade base hit went awry, allowing Jackson to score.
Ali Blanchard had set down eight of the first nine Lions she faced, but Jaden Hill had a base hit with two out in the third and Maria Pagane followed that with a double to pick up Hill and tie the game at 1-1.
It stayed there until the fifth, when a Bade base hit and Ashley McDonald reaching on an error started the inning, with both coming home on Serena Starks' bunt single to make it 3-1.
After Blanchard reached on a passed ball with an out in the sixth, Haley Hoffman had a two-out double and Bade followed with an RBI hit to make it 5-1, and in the seventh, Lauren Sablone led off with a solo homer for the final run of the day.
Blanchard and Alexis Laudenslager combined for the win in the circle, with Blanchard going the first three innings and allowing a run on three hits without a walk, striking out three, and Laudenslager getting the win by going the last four innings, allowing just two hits and a walk and striking out nine while shutting the Lions out during her appearance.
More information about the Ivy League Playoff Series will be announced at GoPrincetonTigers.com.
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The Tigers will host either Harvard or Dartmouth for one game on May 13 and at least one on May 14 as part of the best-of-three Playoff Series, which will decide the Ivy League's automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament the following weekend. NCAA selections will be announced on May 15.
Princeton clinched its 20th Ivy League championship, the most of any program in the league, with Saturday's doubleheader sweep. It was Princeton's third Ivy title in the last five awarded, and the Ivy League Playoff Series will be coming to Princeton for the second time in the last four league seasons, with Princeton hosting the then-Ivy League Championship Series in 2017 against Harvard. It will be Princeton's fourth ILCS/ILPS trip since the series began in 2007, with each of the previous three (2008, 2016, 2017) coming against Harvard and ending in Princeton wins all three times.
Princeton's 17-4 Ivy record is the best for any team in the league since Dartmouth went 18-2 in 2013, and it is Princeton's most league wins since going 18-2 in 2008.
Harvard has the inside track to the second Playoff Series spot after its win over Dartmouth on Sunday, which not only put the Crimson (13-5) a game up in the standings but gave Harvard the tiebreaker over Dartmouth (12-6) if the teams finish even. Both teams have a series to play against Cornell, Harvard on Tuesday and Wednesday in Ithaca and Dartmouth next Saturday and Sunday in Hanover. If Harvard takes at least two of three from the Big Red, it will clinch the second Playoff Series bid, regardless of what Dartmouth does next weekend.
Princeton would have some scoreboard watching to do if it hadn't defeated Columbia on Sunday, but the win ensured that no other Ivy team could get to 17 league wins. The Tigers scored five of their six runs over the final three innings to pull away and lock up the top spot in the league.
Princeton scored first, with Grace Jackson getting a one-out single and coming home two batters later when a throw off a Cate Bade base hit went awry, allowing Jackson to score.
Ali Blanchard had set down eight of the first nine Lions she faced, but Jaden Hill had a base hit with two out in the third and Maria Pagane followed that with a double to pick up Hill and tie the game at 1-1.
It stayed there until the fifth, when a Bade base hit and Ashley McDonald reaching on an error started the inning, with both coming home on Serena Starks' bunt single to make it 3-1.
After Blanchard reached on a passed ball with an out in the sixth, Haley Hoffman had a two-out double and Bade followed with an RBI hit to make it 5-1, and in the seventh, Lauren Sablone led off with a solo homer for the final run of the day.
Blanchard and Alexis Laudenslager combined for the win in the circle, with Blanchard going the first three innings and allowing a run on three hits without a walk, striking out three, and Laudenslager getting the win by going the last four innings, allowing just two hits and a walk and striking out nine while shutting the Lions out during her appearance.
More information about the Ivy League Playoff Series will be announced at GoPrincetonTigers.com.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Laudenslager, Alexis (8-2)
L: Hill, Jordan (6-12)
Batting:
2B: Hoffman, Haley 1
HR: Sablone, Lauren 1
RBI: Sablone, Lauren 1 ; Starks, Serena 1 ; Hoffman, Haley 1 ; Bade, Cate 1
SH: McDonald, Ashley 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Sablone, Lauren 1 ; Mavica, Gianna 1 ; Jackson, Grace 1 ; Hoffman, Haley 1 ; Bade, Cate 1 ; Lee, Abbie 1
SB: Starks, Serena 1 ; Jackson, Grace 1 ; Bade, Cate 1 ; Lee, Abbie 1
Batting:
2B: Pagane, Maria 1
RBI: Pagane, Maria 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hill, Jaden 1
HBP: Gleaves, Bubba 1 ; Souza, Maddie 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
dp/rf
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/UT
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/UT
/ SoftballOF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballReflections from the Princeton Athletics Class of 2025
Tuesday, May 27
Softball Highlights vs. Columbia & Brown, Ivy League Tournament, 5-10-25
Saturday, May 10
Softball Highlights vs. Harvard, Ivy League Tournament, 5-9-25
Friday, May 09
Beyond The Stripes -- Princeton Softball's Legacy Of #2
Thursday, May 08