Saturday, April 19
Princeton, N.J.
12:30 PM
Princeton University
18-14, 12-2
0
vs
2
Columbia
16-16, 8-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Columbia
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
2
7
0
Princeton
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
6
0
Princeton recognized its seniors before the game, including Meghan Harrington, Lauren Sablone, Allison Ha, Sophia Marsalo and Lauren Pappert.
Photo by: Sideline Photos, LLC
Softball Team Recognizes Seniors in Ivy Regular-Season Home Finale
April 19, 2025 | Softball
Recognizing its five-member senior class before Saturday's doubleheader, the Princeton softball team will head into next weekend's trip to Penn in first place in the Ivy League despite a pair of close losses to Columbia in what were the program's first home defeats of the year after eight straight wins at the new Cynthia Lynn Paul '94 Field.
Princeton, at 12-3 in the Ivy, will take a 2 1/2-game lead in the Ivy into Sunday's games around the league. Both teams tied for second in the league, Brown and Dartmouth, will close their weekend series on Sunday, with Brown at Harvard and Dartmouth at Yale. Columbia (9-6) and Harvard (8-6) are right behind Brown and Dartmouth in the chase for a top-four spot that will come with an Ivy League Tournament bid after the Ivy season wraps up following the first weekend in May.
Saturday's two games saw Princeton batters strike out just three times in 51 at-bats, but stringing together hits didn't prove easy either as Columbia won the opener 2-0 before a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, after three scoreless innings both ways, Columbia used a Payton Shimansky leadoff double and a Maddie Souza two-out single to score the game's first run, and in the seventh, a walk to Souza and a Caylene Nguyen hit put two on for an Olivia Madkins RBI hit to make it 2-0. Cassidy Shaw went 6 1/3 innings for Princeton in the circle, striking out three while allowing the two runs on seven hits and a walk before Keala Hollenkamp retired both batters she faced.
Princeton went in order in the first game only twice, scattering six hits and a walk. The Tigers advanced runners to scoring position in the third, fourth and seventh innings but couldn't find the timely hit.
In the nightcap, Columbia struck early with Shimansky leading the way again as a one-out double preceded two singles and a walk, with Cami Neal getting an RBI hit before Brielle Wright and the Tigers left the bases loaded to keep the deficit at 1-0.
Princeton tied it in the fifth, with Lauren Pappert's leadoff single and Sonia Zhang's double setting the table for a Braeden Hale sacrifice fly, but Columbia retook the lead in the sixth. A leadoff single and an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put two on, and though Princeton was just an out from getting through the inning unscathed, pinch hitter Tatum Hubble had a single to put the Lions in front 2-1.
Three walks and a Neal RBI single in the seventh added the Lions' last run. Wright went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk, striking out four, before giving way to Meghan Harrington and then Shaw for the final out.
Princeton never went down in order in the nightcap and put runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings, but the breakthrough hit didn't come.
The Tigers will hit the field again at Monmouth on Wednesday before returning to Ivy League play next Saturday at Penn.
Princeton, at 12-3 in the Ivy, will take a 2 1/2-game lead in the Ivy into Sunday's games around the league. Both teams tied for second in the league, Brown and Dartmouth, will close their weekend series on Sunday, with Brown at Harvard and Dartmouth at Yale. Columbia (9-6) and Harvard (8-6) are right behind Brown and Dartmouth in the chase for a top-four spot that will come with an Ivy League Tournament bid after the Ivy season wraps up following the first weekend in May.
Saturday's two games saw Princeton batters strike out just three times in 51 at-bats, but stringing together hits didn't prove easy either as Columbia won the opener 2-0 before a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
In the opener, after three scoreless innings both ways, Columbia used a Payton Shimansky leadoff double and a Maddie Souza two-out single to score the game's first run, and in the seventh, a walk to Souza and a Caylene Nguyen hit put two on for an Olivia Madkins RBI hit to make it 2-0. Cassidy Shaw went 6 1/3 innings for Princeton in the circle, striking out three while allowing the two runs on seven hits and a walk before Keala Hollenkamp retired both batters she faced.
Princeton went in order in the first game only twice, scattering six hits and a walk. The Tigers advanced runners to scoring position in the third, fourth and seventh innings but couldn't find the timely hit.
In the nightcap, Columbia struck early with Shimansky leading the way again as a one-out double preceded two singles and a walk, with Cami Neal getting an RBI hit before Brielle Wright and the Tigers left the bases loaded to keep the deficit at 1-0.
Princeton tied it in the fifth, with Lauren Pappert's leadoff single and Sonia Zhang's double setting the table for a Braeden Hale sacrifice fly, but Columbia retook the lead in the sixth. A leadoff single and an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put two on, and though Princeton was just an out from getting through the inning unscathed, pinch hitter Tatum Hubble had a single to put the Lions in front 2-1.
Three walks and a Neal RBI single in the seventh added the Lions' last run. Wright went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk, striking out four, before giving way to Meghan Harrington and then Shaw for the final out.
Princeton never went down in order in the nightcap and put runners in scoring position in five of the seven innings, but the breakthrough hit didn't come.
The Tigers will hit the field again at Monmouth on Wednesday before returning to Ivy League play next Saturday at Penn.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Emmy Davis (6-4)
L: Shaw, Cassidy (9-6)
S: Caylene Nguyen (1)
Batting:
2B: Payton Shimansky 1 ; Cami Neal 1
RBI: Maddie Souza 1 ; Olivia Madkins 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Payton Shimansky 1 ; Maddie Souza 1
SB: Caroline Palys 1
Batting:
SH: Hornberger, Abby 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C/UT
/ Softball
P/UT
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ 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