Princeton Stands One Win from NCAA Tournament After Friday Split

Friday, May 13

Princeton, N.J.

12:00 PM

Princeton University

25-15-2

Harvard (Ivy Playoff)

22-18

Harvard

Princeton

Princeton will play Saturday for an NCAA tournament bid.

Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC

Princeton Stands One Win from NCAA Tournament After Friday Split

May 13, 2022 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

A 10-inning opener and some late-game pop in game two gave Princeton a split with Harvard in the Ivy League Playoff Series on Friday at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field, setting up a winner-take-all game three on Saturday back at Princeton for the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Sunday's game will start at noon and be streamed on ESPN+. Live stats will be available here. Admission is free.

In the opening 3-2, 10-inning win for the Crimson, Harvard scored a run each in the third and fourth innings, with Madi Mays lifting a two-out sacrifice fly in the third and Mackenzie Tyler delivering a a one-out single to pick up a leadoff walk and make it 2-0.

That's where it stayed until the bottom of the seventh, when Princeton had a just-in-time rally to tie it. With one out, Lauren Sablone had a triple that scored a leadoff Cate Bade hit, and Serena Starks followed with a double to pick up Sablone and make it 2-2.

The tie persisted until the 10th inning, when Harvard scored three runs on two hits, a walk and two hit batters and take the lead in the series.

A back-and-forth game two saw Princeton take the lead three times, in the first, fourth and sixth innings on the way to an 8-4 win.

Princeton took the lead for the first time when a ball off the bat of Allison Ha picked up a leadoff walk to Lauren Sablone, but Harvard took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the inning, serving as the home team for the series' middle game, on two walks and two singles along with a run-scoring wild pitch. Mays had a two-run single in the inning to put the Crimson in front.

Princeton retook the lead at 4-3 in the fourth, sending eight batters to the plate with each of the first three reaching. Grace Jackson led off with a double before Haley Hoffman singled her home, and after Bade was hit by a pitch, Sablone slammed a double to put Princeton back in front.

Harvard tied it again in the fifth, with Trina Hoang and Ella Lee getting back-to-back two-out doubles to make it 4-4.

The sixth inning saw Princeton take the 8-4 lead that ultimately became the final. A leadoff walk to Bade put one on for Sablone, who sent a home run over the fence in left field to put Princeton up 6-4, and after a walk to Starks, Sophia Marsalo had an RBI double and Ha followed with a run-scoring single.

Ali Blanchard had the win in the circle in game two, allowing the four runs on six hits and three walks and a hit batter, striking out seven.