On his way to a .432 batting average in 1897, Willie Keeler's advice to aspiring batters was to "hit 'em where they ain't". That's exactly what the Crimson women's softball team has had trouble doing recently.

Their offensive woes continued in two close losses to Boston College yesterday, 2-0 and 1-0. The tough non-Ivy defeats dropped the Crimson's overall record to 9-15, but leeft their Ivy league record intact at 3-1.

"Some people hit the ball really well," junior co-captain Melissa Reyen said. "We just didn't hit it where they weren't."

The Crimson were able to muster only four hits in the first game and one hit in the second game, going scoreless for the afternoon.

Playing their fourth doubleheader in six days, the Crimson's lack of offensive performance may have been due in part to emotional drain.

"I think we came out flat," senior co-captain Amy Reinhard said. "We weren't as pumped up as we were for [last weekend's] Yale game."

"I think we needed to play a bit more aggressively," Reyen said.

However, despite the Crimson's batting troubles, the games were actually very positive from every other standpoint.

Sophomore pitcher Heather Brown and freshman pitcher Kathleen Brown each performed quite well against the Eagles lineup.

"The pitching was excellent," Reinhard said. "It was very, very good."

The defense was also solid throughout the afternoon. The Crimson were able to keep the games close despite their lackluster offense.

Three or four times in the first game, the Crimson were able to strand Eagles in scoring position to close out the inning.

"Our defense was definitely completely solid," Reinhard said.

So, with all these positives to take out of the game, the Crimson players were not too down on themselves and their performance.

They have to look ahead to this weekend's vitally important matchup with Ivy rival Princeton.

"I'm disappointed we lost, but we didn't play poorly," Reyen said. "We need to come away with a positive attitude."

They're going to need every ounce of that positive attitude on Sunday. The Crimson have never beaten Princeton in softball in the history of the series.

"I think we're something like 0-24 against them," Reinhard said.

While not quite as bad as the infamous Rutgers-Camden basketball losing streak of over 100 games, this is certainly a streak the Crimson would like to end.

If their hitting improves to complement their defensive excellence, they have a pretty good chance of pulling it off.

"We feel solid going into it," Reinhard said. "We're so psyched, since it's Princeton."

"We're all really excited," Reyen said. "I think we can do it."