The Tufts softball team spent its break basking in the warm California sun and competing in the Sun West Softball Tournament in Orange, Calif., proving its worth against teams from all over the country. Despite some rain delays early in the tournament, the Jumbos started their season by going 9-3.
The tournament was exhausting, with the team playing 12 games over the course of a week, including as many as three games in a day. Tufts destroyed Whittier in its first double-header, 15-2 and 5-4 respectively. The Jumbos also defeated Carleton 9-2, Hope International 14-7 and St. Joseph's 15-0 in a triple-header on Wednesday.
The team's only losses came in two games against defending national champion St. Thomas (Minn.) and one against Williams.
Junior pitcher Sarah Conroy was crucial to the team's success as a relief pitcher. She kept both Whittier and Hope from scoring in the last few innings to ensure the victory. Conroy allowed Northwest Christian only two runs, contributing to Tufts' narrow 3-2 victory. The reliever also kept MIT at bay in another close game in which Tufts won 2-1. Conroy spoke on her team's performance at Sun West.
"We really came out strong because we've been working hard. By the end of the week, we had achieved a great record coming out of California, one of the best Tufts has ever had," Conroy said.
The Jumbos attributed much of their success in the Sun West tournament to the powerful hitters in the lineup.
"We did a great job adjusting to the different pitching that we saw," Conroy said. "We have a great lineup with lots of power hitters."
Many Tufts freshman stepped up, making important contributions to the lineup despite their inexperience competing at the collegiate level.
Freshman Erica Bailey made an impression early on both at the plate and on the pitcher's mound. Against Whittier, Bailey hit a home run in the first at-bat of her collegiate career.
In the second game, she broke the 2-2 tie in the fourth inning with a three-run shot to center field bringing the score to 5-2. She also contributed to the narrow win over Northwest Christian by scoring one run and driving in another.
Bailey pitched the first five innings of the second Whittier game, allowing just three hits and no earned runs. The freshman standout had a tougher time, however, on the mound Friday against defending national champion St. Thomas of Minnesota. The Jumbos remained scoreless while St. Thomas racked up 12 runs on 10 hits. Bailey made up for the loss by shutting out Gustavus on Saturday, 5-0.
Senior shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti also had an outstanding week at the plate, picking up right where she left off from last season's .346, six home run, 23 RBI season. In her first two games against Whittier, Bongiolatti blasted two home runs, including a grand slam in the third inning of the first game. Whittier made four costly errors in the field during the third inning, allowing Tufts to break away and score 12 runs.
Bongiolatti kept her hot streak going as she batted in a run-scoring double in the second inning against St. Mary's, contributing to the 5-2 victory. She also hit an RBI double against Carleton. The hitting standout scored one run and batted in another against Williams College.
Freshman Danielle Lopez had an outstanding week as well, hitting a two-run homerun in the loss to St. Thomas on Monday. Lopez also scored one run and had two hits against Gustavus. Despite the loss against Williams, Lopez managed to notch three hits, as well as one RBI and one run. Third baseman Mara Dodson had a great game against Gustavus. The freshman scored one run and had one RBI in the game. Dodson also blasted a two-run home run against St. Mary's, contributing to the 5-2 win.
Practice allowed the freshmen to prepare for the games.
"We've been practicing so much beforehand, and we hit every day at practice," Dodson said. "Everyone came ready to play."
In its only losses, Tufts put up a good fight against St. Thomas on Monday in their first contest, losing 10-4 in a game that was tied 3-3 until the fourth inning. Tufts lost to NESCAC rival Williams College 12-5 on Saturday in their final game of the tournament.
"We had a couple of tough games, but we're not going to hold on to that. We made some mistakes but we will put that behind us and focus on what we did well." Conroy said.
In many respects, Tufts seemed to improve as the week went on despite the apparent fatigue.
"Towards the end of the week we were executing suicide squeezes and doing the little things right," Conroy said.
The Jumbos open their home season this Tuesday against Springfield at 2:30 p.m.
