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Princeton University Athletics
Saturday, February 24
Charleston, S.C.
12:30 PM
Princeton University
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South Carolina State
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5
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Princeton
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SC State
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Allison Ha led Princeton with three hits on the day, including a double and a grand slam.
Tigers Post 19 Runs in Opening-Day Two-Game Sweep
February 24, 2024 | Softball
Putting up 19 runs over two games in its first day of competition on the new season, the Princeton softball team turned in a 10-1, five-inning win over South Carolina State and a 9-7 win over host College of Charleston on Saturday in South Carolina.
In the opener, Allison Ha, Allie Goodwin, Karis Ford and Sophia Marsalo each had two hits while Marsalo drove in four runs, Sonia Zhang drove in three and Karis Ford had two. Goodwin, Ford and Zhang were all making their collegiate debuts, as was Cassidy Shaw, who got the win in the circle in 4 1/3 innings of work while allowing a run on three hits without a walk, striking out six.
Ford opened the scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly before a Zhang solo homer made it 2-0 in the second. The third inning saw Princeton get runs on a Ford hit, a Zhang groundout, a Marsalo double, and a Cate Bade base hit to make it 6-0.
Though South Carolina State got on the board with a Madison Boyd RBI groundout in the bottom of the third, Princeton got it back and more in the fifth, enough to end it early. An error on a ball off Zhang's bat brought home a run, and Marsalo had a bases-clearing double to bring home the three runs to make it 10-1.
Brielle Wright closed out the last two-thirds of an inning, setting down both batters she faced.
In the nightcap, grand slams from Ha and Lauren Sablone accounted for eight of the nine Tiger runs. Sablone was the lone Tiger with a multi-hit game, going 2 for 3, as Princeton drew eight walks.Â
In the first, a Malaka Belser sac fly and a wild pitch helped the Cougars take a 2-0 lead, but Princeton flipped that in the top of the second with Ha's grand slam. After the Cougars got one back to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the second on an Aniz Roman sac fly, Sablone's grand slam made it 8-3 in the top of the third.
College of Charleston chipped away with a three-run fourth to make it 8-6 on a Brooke Marquez base hit, a wild pitch, and a Belser groundout, and the Cougars made it 8-7 two innings later on a Belser double.Â
Princeton tacked on a run with a Zhang RBI single in the seventh, and Wright came in to get the save with the tying run at the plate and a runner on second, inducing a lineout to end it. Meghan Harrington got the win in relief of Molly Chambers after each went 3 1/3 innings.Â
Princeton will wrap play in the College of Charleston event on Sunday with two, a 9:30 a.m. game against South Carolina State, with live scoring available here, and a noon game against Oakland, with live scoring available here.
In the opener, Allison Ha, Allie Goodwin, Karis Ford and Sophia Marsalo each had two hits while Marsalo drove in four runs, Sonia Zhang drove in three and Karis Ford had two. Goodwin, Ford and Zhang were all making their collegiate debuts, as was Cassidy Shaw, who got the win in the circle in 4 1/3 innings of work while allowing a run on three hits without a walk, striking out six.
Ford opened the scoring with a first-inning sacrifice fly before a Zhang solo homer made it 2-0 in the second. The third inning saw Princeton get runs on a Ford hit, a Zhang groundout, a Marsalo double, and a Cate Bade base hit to make it 6-0.
Though South Carolina State got on the board with a Madison Boyd RBI groundout in the bottom of the third, Princeton got it back and more in the fifth, enough to end it early. An error on a ball off Zhang's bat brought home a run, and Marsalo had a bases-clearing double to bring home the three runs to make it 10-1.
Brielle Wright closed out the last two-thirds of an inning, setting down both batters she faced.
In the nightcap, grand slams from Ha and Lauren Sablone accounted for eight of the nine Tiger runs. Sablone was the lone Tiger with a multi-hit game, going 2 for 3, as Princeton drew eight walks.Â
TWO grand slams in our win today over College of Charleston!
— Princeton Softball (@PUSoftball) February 25, 2024
Recap of our two-game opening-day sweep: https://t.co/QHCFwav8OV pic.twitter.com/42iKwrjeGI
In the first, a Malaka Belser sac fly and a wild pitch helped the Cougars take a 2-0 lead, but Princeton flipped that in the top of the second with Ha's grand slam. After the Cougars got one back to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the second on an Aniz Roman sac fly, Sablone's grand slam made it 8-3 in the top of the third.
College of Charleston chipped away with a three-run fourth to make it 8-6 on a Brooke Marquez base hit, a wild pitch, and a Belser groundout, and the Cougars made it 8-7 two innings later on a Belser double.Â
Princeton tacked on a run with a Zhang RBI single in the seventh, and Wright came in to get the save with the tying run at the plate and a runner on second, inducing a lineout to end it. Meghan Harrington got the win in relief of Molly Chambers after each went 3 1/3 innings.Â
Princeton will wrap play in the College of Charleston event on Sunday with two, a 9:30 a.m. game against South Carolina State, with live scoring available here, and a noon game against Oakland, with live scoring available here.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shaw, Cassidy (1-0)
L: DeAsia Lowther (0-0)
Batting:
2B: Ha, Allison 1 ; Marsalo, Sophia 2
HR: Zhang, Sonia 1
RBI: Ford, Karis 2 ; Zhang, Sonia 3 ; Marsalo, Sophia 4 ; Bade, Cate 1
SF: Ford, Karis 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Dumais, Julia 1 ; Ha, Allison 1 ; Goodwin, Allie 1 ; Ford, Karis 1 ; Harrison, Courtney 1 ; Jackson, Grace 2 ; Zhang, Sonia 2 ; Marsalo, Sophia 1
SB: Marsalo, Sophia 1
CS: Ha, Allison 1
HBP: Hornberger, Abby 1
Batting:
RBI: Madison Boyd 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Aaliyah Williams 1
SB: Aaliyah Williams 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
4
Players Mentioned
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/ SoftballOF/IF
/ SoftballIF/P
/ SoftballIF/OF
/ Softball
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/ SoftballIF/UT
/ Softball
OF
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P/UT
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballPrinceton Athletics Career Networking Breakfast (Fall 2025)
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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