Saturday, May 21
Fayetteville, Ark.
4:30 PM ET/3:30 PM CT
Princeton University
27-17
4
vs
5
Wichita State
34-17
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Princeton
2
0
0
0
0
2
0
4
6
1
Wichita State
0
2
0
1
2
0
X
5
7
1
Photo by: Maddy Adkins
Tigers Come Up Just Short to Wichita State as NCAA Run Closes
May 21, 2022 | Softball
It was an experience none of the current Princeton softball players had coming into this weekend, but for many of them, it won't be their last chance to make a run on the NCAA stage.
Freshman Lauren Sablone drove in all four of Princeton's runs while junior Ali Blanchard and sophomore Molly Chambers battled Wichita State in the circle, but the Shockers had just enough to keep their run going in a 5-4 win in an NCAA regional elimination game on Saturday night at Arkansas' Bogle Park.
The NCAA regional was Princeton's first since 2017 and it came at the end of Princeton's first full season since 2019.Â
The Tigers took the lead in the first inning after a base hit for Serena Starks, a walk to Sophia Marsalo and another base hit for Allison Ha loaded the bases for Sablone, who had a two-run single to put Princeton ahead 2-0.
Wichita State tied it in the second on a two-run homer from Lauren Mills, and it stayed 2-2 into the bottom of the fourth. In that inning, Wichita State had runners on the corners with one out before Princeton got consecutive pop-ups and was close to being out the jam. After a video review, the second of those fly balls was judged not to have settled in the Tiger fielder's glove long enough to count for the final out of the inning before slipping through to the ground, allowing a run to score and put the Shockers up 3-2. The lead became 5-2 in the fifth when Zoe Jones had a two-out base hit and Neleigh Herring followed Jones with a two-run homer.
Princeton got two runs back in the sixth when a Ha base hit followed by a successful fielder's choice off Blanchard's bat had a runner on for Sablone, who made it a four-RBI game with a two-run homer to pull Princeton within 5-4. It was Sablone's second four-RBI game of her rookie campaign, and both came in elimination games with the first coming eight days earlier in the second game of the Ivy League Playoff Series against Harvard with the Tigers then trailing 1-0 in the best-of-three.
Chambers and Princeton kept Wichita State off the board in the sixth to keep it a one-run game, but a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Lauren Murphy was all Princeton got in the top of the seventh against Caitlin Bingham, who was in a long relief role after starter Erin McDonald left the game four batters into the first after allowing a base hit and a walk, the two runners Sablone picked up against Bingham later in the inning.
Princeton finished the season at 27-17-2, its most wins since 2013.Â
Freshman Lauren Sablone drove in all four of Princeton's runs while junior Ali Blanchard and sophomore Molly Chambers battled Wichita State in the circle, but the Shockers had just enough to keep their run going in a 5-4 win in an NCAA regional elimination game on Saturday night at Arkansas' Bogle Park.
The NCAA regional was Princeton's first since 2017 and it came at the end of Princeton's first full season since 2019.Â
The Tigers took the lead in the first inning after a base hit for Serena Starks, a walk to Sophia Marsalo and another base hit for Allison Ha loaded the bases for Sablone, who had a two-run single to put Princeton ahead 2-0.
Wichita State tied it in the second on a two-run homer from Lauren Mills, and it stayed 2-2 into the bottom of the fourth. In that inning, Wichita State had runners on the corners with one out before Princeton got consecutive pop-ups and was close to being out the jam. After a video review, the second of those fly balls was judged not to have settled in the Tiger fielder's glove long enough to count for the final out of the inning before slipping through to the ground, allowing a run to score and put the Shockers up 3-2. The lead became 5-2 in the fifth when Zoe Jones had a two-out base hit and Neleigh Herring followed Jones with a two-run homer.
Princeton got two runs back in the sixth when a Ha base hit followed by a successful fielder's choice off Blanchard's bat had a runner on for Sablone, who made it a four-RBI game with a two-run homer to pull Princeton within 5-4. It was Sablone's second four-RBI game of her rookie campaign, and both came in elimination games with the first coming eight days earlier in the second game of the Ivy League Playoff Series against Harvard with the Tigers then trailing 1-0 in the best-of-three.
Chambers and Princeton kept Wichita State off the board in the sixth to keep it a one-run game, but a leadoff walk to pinch hitter Lauren Murphy was all Princeton got in the top of the seventh against Caitlin Bingham, who was in a long relief role after starter Erin McDonald left the game four batters into the first after allowing a base hit and a walk, the two runners Sablone picked up against Bingham later in the inning.
Princeton finished the season at 27-17-2, its most wins since 2013.Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Bingham, Caitlin (13-5)
L: Blanchard, Ali (10-4)
Batting:
2B: Jackson, Grace 1
HR: Sablone, Lauren 1
RBI: Sablone, Lauren 4
Base Running:
RUNS: Starks, Serena 1 ; Marsalo, Sophia 1 ; Blanchard, Ali 1 ; Sablone, Lauren 1
Batting:
HR: Herring, Neleigh 1 ; Mills, Lauren 1
RBI: Herring, Neleigh 2 ; Mills, Lauren 2
SH: Brown, Lainee 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Jones, Zoe 1 ; Herring, Neleigh 1 ; Garcia, Jessica 1 ; Nelson, Krystin 1 ; Mills, Lauren 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
2b/rf
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
P/UT
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
1B/OF/C
/ Softball
UT/P
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballOF
/ 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