It was oh, so close.

All the Harvard softball team needed was one win in its double-header with Princeton Saturday to clinch a share of its first Ivy League title.

But the Tigers had owned that title for six years. And they weren't ready to give it up.

Princeton swept the Crimson, 8-2 and 3-0, to grab its seventh straight Ivy championship in front of 100 spectators at Soldiers Field. The scores weren't close, but the games were. Only a couple of plays separated the Crimson from the needed victory.

"You hate to go out on a sour note, but we were so, so close," Co-Captain Nancy Prior said.

It was just a day of frustration for Harvard.

The Crimson (13-16 overall, 5-3 Ivy) got off to a good start in the first game.

Freshman Julie Fromholz led off the second inning with a single, and the Tigers (6-1 Ivy) booted Jen Clawson's bunt giving the Crimson two on with none out. After sophomore Ellen Cox sacrificed, Fromholz hustled home on a wild pitch by Princeton ace Dawn Roberts to give Harvard a 1-0 lead.

The Tigers were stunned.

"I really thought we were going take it when we scored first," Prior said.

But the Tigers quickly defused the Crimson's enthusiasm in the top half of the third. A walk and four singles gave Princeton four runs and a 4-1 lead.

Harvard had plenty of chances, but simply could not capitalize. Princeton, meanwhile, just kept building its lead.

"We stranded a lot of runners," Prior said. "It's been our biggest problem all year."

Second Time Around

The loss in the first game put that much more importance on the second game. A win was now imperative for the title.