Tufts softball's season came to a heartbreaking end last weekend as the school's perennial powerhouse team suffered a second- round 3-2 loss to Keene State in the NCAA regional tournament.
After extending its reign as NESCAC Champions to three years in a row and its streak of NCAA appearances to seven, the team earned the number one seed at the NCAA regional tournament. Favored to win it all, the Jumbos were hoping to return to the College World Series after a three-year hiatus. Keene State put an end to the team's dreams, however, in the second game on Saturday, May 10.
"I really wanted to go back to the World Series," senior co-captain Nikki Blotner said. "But things go the way they go and we gave it our best shot.'
After an early first-round loss to Western New England College in the double elimination tournament, the Jumbos pulled off a victory against Fitchburg State to avoid an early exit. The Jumbos advanced in the losers' bracket to face Keene State with the knowledge that their season was on the line.
"We were definitely really pumped for this game because we knew that they were a good team," senior co-captain Lis Drake said. "I was really confident in the pitching and we wanted this so badly. We went as hard as we could and unfortunately it didn't work out."
The first five innings of the game featured a tense pitching match-up, as freshman Julia Brenta matched the Owls' Meghan McLoughlin pitch for pitch, leaving both teams scoreless after five.
It was in the sixth that the Jumbos finally broke through with two runs. Pairing clutch hits and taking advantage of error opportunities, the Jumbos came out of the sixth inning up 2-0 on the Owls and poised to take the victory.
"We definitely felt like we were going to win the game," junior Julie Fox said. "It's just so frustrating to watch runs being scored on you when you can't do anything about it since you're not involved in every play."
As fate would have it, the Owls refused to die, coming back in the bottom of the seventh for two runs of their own, forcing the game into extra innings.
It was in the bottom of the tenth that the Owls finally put an end to the Jumbos' season. A controversial call on a hit by pitch put the winning run on base. The run eventually came in to score as senior Shauna Mullen, whose home run helped the Owls tie the game in the bottom of the seventh, hit a walk off single to win the game 3-2 for Keene State.
"It's really disappointing because we knew that we were just as good if not better than any other team," Drake said. "Just looking around the dugout, there were so many players there who didn't want to leave."
While the Jumbos season ends in disappointment, the team accomplished much to be proud of. The team earned its spot in the NCAA tournament after winning its third consecutive NESCAC Championship, a feat that few other teams at Tufts earned this year.
The team won the NESCAC tournament in grand fashion, overcoming school rival Williams in a forced game seven to continue their reign. The tournament featured a game seven for the first time in the double elimination tournament's three-year history. After a close 2-1 loss to Williams in game six, the Jumbos were determined to win it all in game seven of the tournament.
"It was a good position to be in that they had to beat us twice," coach Kris Herman said.
With yet another strong performance from sophomore pitcher Caroline Grieco, the Jumbos scored all of their runs in the bottom of the fourth. Taking advantage of intentional walks, the team needed only three hits to win it all.
"Winning NESCACs is something that gave us confidence going into NCAAs," Drake said. "It's definitely something to be proud of."
For a squad as competitive as the softball team, a NESCAC Championship was not enough to satisfy. Walking away from NCAAs disappointed that the team did not advance further, the Jumbos still looks back on the successful season fondly.
"After losing four great players we stepped up this year and are as competitive if not more," Blotner said. "I definitely come away proud of it."
More from The Tufts Daily
