PRINCETON, N.J. – The Columbia softball team's run in the Ivy League Tournament came to an end on Saturday when it fell to host Princeton 10-1 in five innings. The Lions finish the year with an overall record of 24-18, and finish with a program record .571 winning percentage.
Offensively, Columbia's bats went cold against the Tigers, scoring a run on two hits. The Lions put the ball in play several times, but Princeton's (28-17) defense was up to the task keeping the Columbia off the bases.
Princeton scored 10 runs on 11 hits. Karis Ford went 2-for-4 with a double and a home run. Braeden Hale went 2-for-4 with three runs.
The Tigers bats made a loud entrance in the top of the first. Julia Dumais led off the contest with a triple to right center. She scored on the momentum seizing, two-run home run from Ford.
In the home half, the Lions made some noise of their own. With two outs
Sarah Mikami smashed a ball to the gap in left center for a double. Back-to-back walks issued to
Cami Neal and
Maddie Souza loaded the bags, but that's where the rally died.
In the bottom of the second,
Caylene Nguyen swung the momentum back in the Lions favor. She jumped all over a first pitch screwball for a solo home run, her second of the year.
The home run from Nguyen was the lone blemish on the day for Princeton starter Cassidy Shaw (13-7). Shaw went the distance tossing 5.0 complete, allowing two hits, a run, with three walks.
In the third Princeton struck again. A two-out double, a wild pitch and ball hit right back to
Jordan Hill (11-9) allowed the Tigers to score the third run of the contest. Ford started the rally with a double down the right field line, she was lifted for pinch runner Julieta Roa, who took third on wild pitch and scored on the base hit from Sonia Zhang that Hill couldn't corral.
That ended the day for Hill, who went 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits, six runs, with a walk and two strikeouts.
In the fourth, Tigers put the game away. With two outs, Princeton scored three runs on three hits – all coming with two outs. The big hit was a two-run double from Dumais to make it 5-1. She later scored on the single through the right side from Braeden Hale.
Princeton scored four more runs on three hits. The culmination of the rally was a double down the left field line by Hale that scored a pair.
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