Friday, April 21
Princeton, N.J.
2:00 PM
Princeton University
20-15, 13-3
4
vs
0
Harvard
22-13-1, 12-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Harvard
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
0
Princeton
0
0
0
0
1
3
X
4
8
1
Julia Dumais hit her third homer of the season to give Princeton a 2-0 lead.
Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast
Softball Team Takes Series Opener Over Harvard, Clinches Ivy Tournament Bid
April 21, 2023 | Softball
The inaugural four-team Ivy League Tournament will include the Princeton softball team after Friday afternoon's 4-0 win over Harvard, and the Tigers will look to ensure on Saturday that the tournament will be on their home field.
For a day at least, Princeton broke the tie atop the Ivy League, moving to 13-3 while Harvard fell to 12-4. The teams will play a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday back at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field, and a Princeton sweep would net the Tigers a share of the Ivy title and the chance to host the Ivy League Tournament, as Princeton would be at 15 wins with no other team, aside from Harvard, able to get to 15 and the Tigers then holding the tiebreaker over the Crimson.
Princeton starter Alexis Laudenslager and Harvard starter Riley Flynn posted dueling zeroes for the first four innings as Laudenslager took a no-hitter into the fifth. Harvard's Savannah Fitzpatrick broke up the no-no bid with a base hit to centerfield, but Princeton broke the shutout in the bottom of the inning. Pinch hitter Lauren Murphy slammed a double off the right-field fence, and Lauren Sablone, whom Murphy hit for, took third when Serena Starks beat out an infield single. Grace Jackson then picked up Sablone with a groundout to open the scoring.
Princeton kept it going in the sixth with Julia Dumais' solo homer to lead it off before Starks sent a two-run single to left to pick up a Cate Bade double and a walk to Sablone.
Laudenslager struck out nine while allowing just a hit and a walk in the complete-game shutout, lifting her season strikeout total to 143 and surpassing her 2022 total of 138 Ks. If Laudenslager gets to 156 strikeouts this season, it would be the most in a single campaign for any Tiger since 2008, when Kristen Schaus '08 fanned 189.
Saturday's noon doubleheader is free admission and will be streamed on ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2) with live stats available here. Princeton's seniors will be recognized at 11:45 a.m.
For a day at least, Princeton broke the tie atop the Ivy League, moving to 13-3 while Harvard fell to 12-4. The teams will play a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday back at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field, and a Princeton sweep would net the Tigers a share of the Ivy title and the chance to host the Ivy League Tournament, as Princeton would be at 15 wins with no other team, aside from Harvard, able to get to 15 and the Tigers then holding the tiebreaker over the Crimson.
Princeton starter Alexis Laudenslager and Harvard starter Riley Flynn posted dueling zeroes for the first four innings as Laudenslager took a no-hitter into the fifth. Harvard's Savannah Fitzpatrick broke up the no-no bid with a base hit to centerfield, but Princeton broke the shutout in the bottom of the inning. Pinch hitter Lauren Murphy slammed a double off the right-field fence, and Lauren Sablone, whom Murphy hit for, took third when Serena Starks beat out an infield single. Grace Jackson then picked up Sablone with a groundout to open the scoring.
Princeton kept it going in the sixth with Julia Dumais' solo homer to lead it off before Starks sent a two-run single to left to pick up a Cate Bade double and a walk to Sablone.
Laudenslager struck out nine while allowing just a hit and a walk in the complete-game shutout, lifting her season strikeout total to 143 and surpassing her 2022 total of 138 Ks. If Laudenslager gets to 156 strikeouts this season, it would be the most in a single campaign for any Tiger since 2008, when Kristen Schaus '08 fanned 189.
Saturday's noon doubleheader is free admission and will be streamed on ESPN+ (Game 1 | Game 2) with live stats available here. Princeton's seniors will be recognized at 11:45 a.m.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Laudenslager, Alexis (11-8)
L: Riley Flynn (6-1)
Batting:
SH: Megan Welsh 1
Batting:
2B: Bade, Cate 1 ; Murphy, Lauren 1
HR: Dumais, Julia 1
RBI: Starks, Serena 2 ; Jackson, Grace 1 ; Dumais, Julia 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dumais, Julia 1 ; Bade, Cate 1 ; Sablone, Lauren 2
SB: Starks, Serena 1 ; Sablone, Lauren 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
0
H
3
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
IF/C
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballOF
/ SoftballPrinceton Athletics Career Networking Breakfast (Fall 2025)
Wednesday, September 24
Reflections 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