Walkoff Champions! Sablone's Three-Run Blast Lifts Tigers to Ivy Title

Saturday, May 4

Princeton, N.J.

12:30 PM

Princeton University

25-15, 13-7

Cornell

8-28, 5-15

Cornell

Princeton

Princeton won its 22nd Ivy League title on a walkoff home run by Lauren Sablone (holding trophy).

Photo by: Shelley M. Szwast

Walkoff Champions! Sablone's Three-Run Blast Lifts Tigers to Ivy Title

May 04, 2024 | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

One strike separated the Princeton softball team from having played its last game at Princeton Softball Stadium at Strubing Field, from a trip to Yale to stand as the third or fourth seed in the Ivy League Tournament, from seeing the program's two-year run of Ivy League titles come to an end.

Instead, Lauren Sablone struck, and when the ball landed beyond the left-field fence, the Tigers had won their 22nd Ivy League title, third straight for the first time in nearly three decades, and at least a couple more games at Strubing Field when the Ivy League Tournament begins on Thursday.

Sablone's three-run walkoff blast lifted Princeton to a 5-4 win over Cornell in a game the Tigers needed to win to earn a share of the Ivy League title and to host the Ivy tournament. Princeton, Yale and Harvard are all 14-7, and Dartmouth could join them at with a win on Sunday as it closes its series against Columbia. Regardless of that outcome, Thursday's Ivy tournament opener will put top-seeded Princeton against fourth-seeded Dartmouth at 12 p.m. before second-seeded Yale and third-seeded Harvard follow.

FINAL | Princeton 5, Cornell 4

WALKOFF WINNER! IVY LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!

LAUREN SABLONE HITS A THREE-RUN HOMER!

The @IvyLeague tournament is gonna be RIGHT HERE! pic.twitter.com/LwTfj31x8l
— Princeton Softball (@PUSoftball) May 4, 2024

Princeton had 12 outfield fly-ball outs against Cornell pitcher Kyrie Denny, who had just one strikeout a day after tossing another complete-game win over Princeton, also striking out one in that game and scattered eight hits in frustrating the Tigers on the way to a 6-4 loss.

Princeton had one run in Saturday's game before a three-run seventh-inning rally in that game as well. The three runs weren't enough to rally in the series opener, but they were all Princeton needed in Sunday's series finale.

Down 4-2 entering the seventh, Princeton saw two of the first three batters retired in its half of the inning with Grace Jackson standing on second after a one-out single. Sonia Zhang then drew a walk to put the tying run on, and after working Denny to a full count, Sablone unloaded for her fifth home run of the season, delivering the Ivy title to Princeton and ensuring that the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament would be awarded on Princeton's home field for the third straight year.

Princeton entered Saturday needing to win both games after Friday's loss in which Sablone went 3 for 4 but Princeton left six runners on base, including four in scoring position, in the 6-4 loss to Denny and the Big Red.

The Tigers saw Maxine McCraw in Saturday's opener and jumped in front with a three-run second inning on a solo homer from Allison Ha and a two-run Sablone single to pick up earlier walks to Karis Ford and Caitlin Bish to make it 3-0.

Cornell clawed back with a run each in the second and fifth innings to make it 3-2, but Sonia Zhang popped a leadoff homer in the fifth to put Princeton up 4-2, and that's where it ended as Meghan Harrington tossed a complete game, allowing the two runs on six hits and two walks, striking out seven.

That shifted the focus to Saturday's second game and another must-win if Princeton wanted the Ivy title and to play at home for the league tournament. Three second-inning hits, including a one-out double from Allison Ha, a Ford base hit to pick up Ha, and a single plus an error from Bish that scored Ford for a 2-0 lead.

Cornell got a run back in the third and took the lead in the fifth as Hailey Pirkey, who had each of Cornell's first three RBI in the series finale, welcomed reliever Molly Chambers with a two-run single to put the Big Red in front at 3-2.

Now in line for the win, Denny kept the Tigers relatively quiet in the fifth and sixth, allowing just two singles in that time while all eight Princeton batters over those two innings put the ball in play, only to see a Big Red fielder come up sure-handed.

Cornell tacked on a run in the seventh, cobbling together a walk, a double and a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2, lengthening Princeton's odds of a comeback until the Tigers put a couple runners on and Sablone came through with the big blast.

Brielle Wright got the win in relief for Princeton, allowing a run on two hits and a walk, striking out two. Cassidy Shaw started and allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk with five Ks, and Chambers' two-thirds of an inning saw a hit and a walk allowed.

With home field for the Ivy League Tournament secured, top-seeded Princeton will begin the double-elimination event by hosting fourth-seeded Dartmouth at noon. Second-seeded Yale and third-seeded Harvard will follow with a 2:30 p.m. projected start.