(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption: BIG GUN: Princeton Day School softball star Marissa Davila throws the ball across the diamond. Junior shortstop Davila had a hit and scored two runs as PDS topped Hamilton 10-2 on April 7 for its first win of the season. The Panthers, now 1-2, host Hun on April 15, play at Wardlaw-Hartridge on April 16, host Lawrenceville on April 20, and then play at WW/P-N on April 21.

Auerbach Following in Family Business, Starring as Pitching Ace for PDS Softball

Bill Alden

Jen Auerbach brings a special motivation every time she toes the rubber for the Princeton Day School softball team.

The junior pitcher is looking to maintain a family tradition of excellence, following in the footsteps of older sister, Nicole, who pitched PDS to the state Prep B title in 2006.

“It is hard to fill her shoes,” said Auerbach, reflecting on the influence of her older sister, who is now at the University of Michigan.

“I am taking after my sister; there is a sibling rivalry. When I played with her in my freshman year, I caught and she was the pitcher, which was interesting. I look up to her with certain pitches because she was better in certain areas. She is always calling me and asking me how the game is going.”

Auerbach had some good news to report to her sister last week after she pitched a one-hit shutout in a 10-2 win over Hamilton as PDS earned its first win of the season.

In stifling Hamilton on a chilly day, Auerbach went to her breaking stuff.

“It is harder to grip the ball because of the cold, my hands were a little tense,” said Auerbach, who had seven strikeouts in the outing. “I basically threw the screwball and the curve a lot.”

In addition to her good work with her arm in the win over Hamilton, Auerbach also contributed with the bat, getting two hits and two RBIs.

“It gives me a lot of confidence,” said Auerbach, referring to her clutch hitting. “It gets your energy up when you are running the bases, it definitely helps.”

Auerbach’s pitching has been helped by many hours spent with pitching instructor Rich Forbringer.

“I have been going to him once or twice a week since I was nine years old,” said Auerbach.

“He has a pitching office and he goes through all the different pitches with me. By now I have all the pitches down — fastball, change, curve, screw, drop, and rise. I have learned all those so we go over them and he sees what I am doing wrong. I think repetition is the most important part of it.”

Sticking to that routine has given Auerbach a feeling of command when she is pitching.

“I like being in control; you can see the field everywhere from the pitching mound and you are in every play,” said Auerbach.

“I have to keep track of who is up to the plate — is it the No. 2 hitter or the No. 4 hitter, is it a girl who hit to right field the last time. I have the person keeping score remind me where they are; it helps me remind everyone.”

PDS head coach Kristen Wilson liked the way Auerbach took care of business in the win over Hamilton.

“Jen threw well,” said the first-year head coach. “I think she had only one or two walks and she got a lot of strikeouts. She is always in there; she does well out there. The other players seemed to be pulling together behind her; she can’t get every out so they have to pick up the slack.”

Wilson like the way her players picked up the slack after struggling in a season-opening 9-0 defeat to Blair.

“We really gelled together; there was a little more focus; they were a little more into it,” said Wilson, who got some clutch hitting from Leah Brown and Dani Dawkins in addition to Auerbach.

“They had better at-bats, even the ones who weren’t getting on were seeing the ball better. The big hitters came through which we lacked in the other game.”

The Panthers gained some confidence, which they may have lacked after the loss to Blair.

“We needed a win; they are young,” added Wilson, whose team fell short of a second win as it lost 7-1 to Montgomery last Monday.

“We have no seniors although a couple of them have been playing together for a few years. We needed some hits and things to fall into place for them to feel like they can do it. We were really looking for it.”

Wilson, for her part, was looking to get the first win of her PDS tenure.

“It was really nice; I hate to lose so it felt good,” said a grinning Wilson, whose team hosts Hun on April 15, plays at Wardlaw-Hartridge on April 16, hosts Lawrenceville on April 20, and then plays at WW/P-N on April 21.

“I am happy for them; they are a much better team than they showed last week. It was frustrating to see it pan out that way. To see them get a win is nice.”

In Auerbach’s view, the win over Hamilton could be just the first of a lot of nice days this spring for PDS.

“It was our second game of the season and the weather was not perfect,” said Auerbach.

“It was definitely a confidence-building game. I think coming into the game, people were saying oh, oh, this is a public school. I think everyone is kind of surprised with result; it was a great game.”

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