With a seventh inning rally, the women's softball team broke open a 1-1 tie against Wheaton College on Wednesday, defeating the fourth-ranked team in the country 3-1. With the victory, Tufts improves to 10-5, while Wheaton slips to 11-3.
In the top of the seventh, seniors Emily Ferrazza and Jen Mackey led off with singles, and classmate Tiffany Trahan advanced both runners on a groundout. Junior Lis Drake hit a bouncer to the shortstop, who was unable to make a play, and Ferrazza charged home for the winning run. Mackey added an insurance run, as sophomore Julie Fox hit a sacrifice fly to left field.
The Lyons did not go down without a fight, though, loading the bases with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Senior co-captain Jodie Moreau remained composed on the mound and forced a routine groundout to the shortstop to end the game.
The Jumbos entered the game ranked17th in the nation and second in New England, behind only Wheaton. Last year the two teams split a doubleheader, and Wheaton went on to win the New England Championship and placed third in the College World Series.
Moreau put together another solid performance, pitching her sixth complete game of the year, giving up one run and five hits. Fanning three Wheaton batters, she moved within three strikeouts of the all time mark of 334, held by Michelle Lima '97. Now 8-0, Moreau owns a NESCAC-best .44 ERA.
Following last Saturday's doubleheader against Trinity - when Tufts put 28 runs on the board - Wednesday's contest was much more of a pitcher's duel. Both teams were held scoreless through five innings, until sophomore Deana Davidian opened the scoring for Tufts with a bases loaded bloop single in the top of the sixth.
"From a pitching standpoint, it's always uncomfortable when you don't have the lead," Moreau said. "The pressure is always on when you don't have much run support. Having runs on the board helps maintain confidence, and you don't have to worry about digging yourself out of a hole."
Freshman Courtney Bongiolatti said it was frustrating to not score as many runs as the team usually does. "With Jodie pitching we weren't worried about them getting runs. Eventually we had a big inning, and in a game like that, you don't need a lot of runs to win."
In the game, Tufts hit nine singles, as Mackey and Davidian had two apiece. Moreau scattered five Wheaton hits, none of which went for extra bases. Going 2-3, Mackey improved upon her NESCAC-best batting average, raising it to an incredible .591. For Wheaton, only freshman Jennifer Nelligan was able to connect twice, as she went 2-3 from the plate.
Bongiolatti said the team had added motivation to top Wheaton. "Before the game Emily and Jodie told us how important this game was for the upperclassmen, so we really wanted to go out there and win it for them," she said. "Since Wheaton was ranked so high in the national rankings, this should bump us up."
A doubleheader was originally scheduled, and the second game was played for roughly two innings. Tufts built a 5-1 lead, with freshman Carolin Grieco on the mound, but the contest was called due to torrential downpours.
On Saturday at 1 p.m., the Jumbos host a doubleheader against Bowdoin (10-5-1), in a rematch of last year's NESCAC Championship. Tufts won that game 8-2, but split the regular season doubleheader. The Polar Bears are led by senior Katie Sheridan, who is fourth in the NESCAC with a .468 batting average and a returning member of the First Team All-NESCAC. The club's ace, senior Jessie Poulin, has an impressive 0.73 ERA in ten games pitched. Also pitching will be returning NESCAC Co-Rookie of the Year Erin Hanley, who posted a 1.39 ERA last season.
The upcoming game will be important for the NESCAC East standings, as well as pride, but the Jumbos are confident with their current level of play. "We've been playing one game at a time," Moreau said. "Wheaton was our first hurdle and now we will focus on beating Bowdoin."
