Princeton University Athletics
Friday, April 17
New Haven, Conn.
3:30 PM
Princeton University
25-10, 13-0
8
at
0
Yale
13-26, 4-12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Princeton | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 0 |
| Yale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
Mia Valenzuela hit a three-run homer in Friday's win.
Photo by: Derrick Tuskan
Softball Team Shuts Out Yale in Series Opener, Moves to 13-0 in Ivy
April 17, 2026 | Softball
Eight players split the team's 13 hits and three pitchers combined for the shutout as the Princeton softball team kept its strong start to the Ivy League season going on Friday with an 8-0, six-inning win at Yale to open the teams' three-game series.
Now 13-0 on the Ivy League season, Princeton is one win short of matching the program's best Ivy start, set when the 2008 team started 14-0 in what was just the second year of the 20-game Ivy League schedule, up from 14 as late as 2006. The only team to do better than 14-0 to start the league season was Dartmouth in 2014, which started 15-0.
With only one other league game on Friday, Columbia's win over Cornell, Princeton's lead in the Ivy standings grew to 4 1/2 over second-place Harvard, which will open its series with Penn on Saturday. Columbia stands third, five back of the Tigers, with Penn fourth, now 6 1/2 back. Princeton is one win away from clinching a top-four finish and the Ivy League Tournament berth that comes with it.
Princeton opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning, getting a Mia Valenzuela double and a Jessica Phelps single before Maddie Ratcheson drove both home with a base hit. Four runs broke it open in the fifth, with a Julia Dumais base hit and an error picking up a leadoff hit from Sonia Zhang, and after a Karis Ford single, Mia Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to make it 6-0.
The sixth inning saw Princeton put two on with a Ratcheson double and a Zhang single before Dumais drove both home with a base hit for an 8-0 lead, and Keala Hollenkamp finished off the shutout with a flawless sixth to end it early.
Brielle Wright threw the first 3 2/3 innings, allowing a hit and two walks, striking out three, before Cassidy Shaw went an inning and a third, allowing just a hit and a strikeout, and Hollenkamp struck out one in her inning of work.Â
The teams will wrap the series with a 12:30 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
Now 13-0 on the Ivy League season, Princeton is one win short of matching the program's best Ivy start, set when the 2008 team started 14-0 in what was just the second year of the 20-game Ivy League schedule, up from 14 as late as 2006. The only team to do better than 14-0 to start the league season was Dartmouth in 2014, which started 15-0.
With only one other league game on Friday, Columbia's win over Cornell, Princeton's lead in the Ivy standings grew to 4 1/2 over second-place Harvard, which will open its series with Penn on Saturday. Columbia stands third, five back of the Tigers, with Penn fourth, now 6 1/2 back. Princeton is one win away from clinching a top-four finish and the Ivy League Tournament berth that comes with it.
Princeton opened the scoring with two runs in the second inning, getting a Mia Valenzuela double and a Jessica Phelps single before Maddie Ratcheson drove both home with a base hit. Four runs broke it open in the fifth, with a Julia Dumais base hit and an error picking up a leadoff hit from Sonia Zhang, and after a Karis Ford single, Mia Valenzuela hit a three-run homer to make it 6-0.
The sixth inning saw Princeton put two on with a Ratcheson double and a Zhang single before Dumais drove both home with a base hit for an 8-0 lead, and Keala Hollenkamp finished off the shutout with a flawless sixth to end it early.
Brielle Wright threw the first 3 2/3 innings, allowing a hit and two walks, striking out three, before Cassidy Shaw went an inning and a third, allowing just a hit and a strikeout, and Hollenkamp struck out one in her inning of work.Â
The teams will wrap the series with a 12:30 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Shaw, Cassidy (12-3)
L: Ellie Joseph (6-8)
Batting:
2B: Valenzuela, Mia 1 ; Ratcheson, Maddie 1
HR: Valenzuela, Mia 1
RBI: Dumais, Julia 2 ; Valenzuela, Mia 3 ; Ratcheson, Maddie 2
SH: Dominguez, Graciela 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Zhang, Sonia 2 ; Dumais, Julia 1 ; Ford, Karis 1 ; Valenzuela, Mia 2 ; Hornberger, Abby 1 ; Harrison, Courtney 1
SB: Zhang, Sonia 1
HBP: Hornberger, Abby 1
Batting:
SH: Grace Westmoreland 1
Game Leaders
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
0
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF/C
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
IF
/ SoftballC/IF
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF/UT
/ Softball
P
/ SoftballIF
/ SoftballSoftball Highlights at Yale, 4-17-26
Friday, April 17
Softball Highlights vs. Monmouth, 4-15-26
Wednesday, April 15
Softball Highlights vs. Penn, 4-12-26
Sunday, April 12
Softball Highlights vs. Penn, 4-11-26
Saturday, April 11