Princeton University Athletics
Prior to Saturday's doubleheader, Princeton will recognize its senior class of (top row, left to right) Ashley McDonald, Alexis Laudenslager, (bottom row) Adrienne Chang, Lauren Murphy and Serena Starks.
Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast
Updated: Ivy Softball First-Place Showdown Set for Friday, Saturday
April 19, 2023 | Softball
The series matching the top two teams in the Ivy League will get underway a day earlier thanks to expected rainy weather on Sunday.
Sunday's single game will be played on Friday at 2 p.m. at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field. The Saturday doubleheader has been moved up by a half-hour to a 12 p.m. start.
Friday, 2 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Int'l Video | Game Program
Saturday, 12 p.m. | ESPN+ Game 1 | ESPN+ Game 2 | Live Stats | Int'l Video | Game ProgramÂ
Admission is free for the weekend's games. Both Princeton and Harvard are 12-3 in the Ivy League in what is the penultimate league weekend for all but two of the league's teams. The top four teams in the league will make the Ivy League Tournament, and the top seed will host the tournament, making this weekend's series an important one in determining the tournament host.
Last these teams met, Princeton won a best-of-three series at home to take the Ivy League Playoff Series and earn the Ivy's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Princeton also took two out of three in the teams' regular-season meeting at Harvard earlier in the season, and Harvard took two of three in the teams' 2019 meeting in Princeton, the most recent time the teams met before last season.
Harvard and Princeton are the top two teams in the Ivy in batting average, with Harvard at .315 and Princeton at .277, and the top two in the league in ERA, with Harvard at 2.36 and Princeton at 2.97. Crimson and Tiger players hold the top four spots in the league in batting average, with Harvard's Allison Hefley (.396), Princeton's Serena Starks (.382), Harvard's Madi Mays (.360) and Princeton's Adrienne Chang (.343), and the top three spots in the league in ERA, with Princeton's Alexis Laudenslager (2.02), Harvard's Anna Reed (2.15) and Harvard's Riley Flynn (2.29). Princeton and Harvard players are 1-2 in the league in hits (Starks, 47; Heffley, 36), and runs scored (Starks, 27; Harvard's Lauren Bobowski, 22).Â
At an Ivy-leading 134 Ks this season, Laudenslager is just four strikeouts away from matching her junior-season total of 138, which was the 16th-highest total in program history. If Laudenslager can get to 156 Ks, it would be the highest total in a season at Princeton since Kristen Schaus '08 had 189 as a senior. Laudenslager has already thrown three no-hitters this season, the first pitcher in program history to do that, and has five career solo no-hitters, the first pitcher in program history to do that.Â
Laudenslager (10-8, 2.02 ERA, 97 IP), Brielle Wright (3-4, 3.57, 51), Molly Chambers (5-2, 3.58, 45) and Meghan Harrington (1-1, 3.99, 33 1/3) make up the Tiger pitching staff, while Flynn (6-0, 2.28, 73 2/3), Anna Reed (7-6, 2.29, 73 1/3), Katie Arrambide (6-2, 2.92, 52 2/3) and Lindsay G. Poulos (2-3, 1.52, 27 2/3) have accounted for all but nine of the Crimson's 236 1/3 innings in the circle.
Following the weekend, Princeton will head to Villanova Tuesday before going to Dartmouth for the final Ivy League weekend while Harvard will host Columbia next weekend to wrap up its league season.
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Sunday's single game will be played on Friday at 2 p.m. at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field. The Saturday doubleheader has been moved up by a half-hour to a 12 p.m. start.
Friday, 2 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Int'l Video | Game Program
Saturday, 12 p.m. | ESPN+ Game 1 | ESPN+ Game 2 | Live Stats | Int'l Video | Game ProgramÂ
Admission is free for the weekend's games. Both Princeton and Harvard are 12-3 in the Ivy League in what is the penultimate league weekend for all but two of the league's teams. The top four teams in the league will make the Ivy League Tournament, and the top seed will host the tournament, making this weekend's series an important one in determining the tournament host.
Last these teams met, Princeton won a best-of-three series at home to take the Ivy League Playoff Series and earn the Ivy's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Princeton also took two out of three in the teams' regular-season meeting at Harvard earlier in the season, and Harvard took two of three in the teams' 2019 meeting in Princeton, the most recent time the teams met before last season.
Harvard and Princeton are the top two teams in the Ivy in batting average, with Harvard at .315 and Princeton at .277, and the top two in the league in ERA, with Harvard at 2.36 and Princeton at 2.97. Crimson and Tiger players hold the top four spots in the league in batting average, with Harvard's Allison Hefley (.396), Princeton's Serena Starks (.382), Harvard's Madi Mays (.360) and Princeton's Adrienne Chang (.343), and the top three spots in the league in ERA, with Princeton's Alexis Laudenslager (2.02), Harvard's Anna Reed (2.15) and Harvard's Riley Flynn (2.29). Princeton and Harvard players are 1-2 in the league in hits (Starks, 47; Heffley, 36), and runs scored (Starks, 27; Harvard's Lauren Bobowski, 22).Â
At an Ivy-leading 134 Ks this season, Laudenslager is just four strikeouts away from matching her junior-season total of 138, which was the 16th-highest total in program history. If Laudenslager can get to 156 Ks, it would be the highest total in a season at Princeton since Kristen Schaus '08 had 189 as a senior. Laudenslager has already thrown three no-hitters this season, the first pitcher in program history to do that, and has five career solo no-hitters, the first pitcher in program history to do that.Â
Laudenslager (10-8, 2.02 ERA, 97 IP), Brielle Wright (3-4, 3.57, 51), Molly Chambers (5-2, 3.58, 45) and Meghan Harrington (1-1, 3.99, 33 1/3) make up the Tiger pitching staff, while Flynn (6-0, 2.28, 73 2/3), Anna Reed (7-6, 2.29, 73 1/3), Katie Arrambide (6-2, 2.92, 52 2/3) and Lindsay G. Poulos (2-3, 1.52, 27 2/3) have accounted for all but nine of the Crimson's 236 1/3 innings in the circle.
Following the weekend, Princeton will head to Villanova Tuesday before going to Dartmouth for the final Ivy League weekend while Harvard will host Columbia next weekend to wrap up its league season.
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Players Mentioned
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/ SoftballMonday, May 11
Saturday, May 09
Friday, May 08
Thursday, May 07