In addition to a healthy dose of California sun, the softball team received a humbling introduction to the 2006 season.
A whirlwind schedule of 12 games in six days in the Sun West Tournament in Orange, Calif. pitted the softball team against many of the nation's best clubs, and the Jumbos finished the week with mixed results, including a 4-8 record and two disappointing losses to NESCAC rivals Amherst and Wesleyan.
"We need to take what we learned in California and run with it," sophomore Erica Bailey said. "We need to improve on the things we did poorly and come back mentally and physically stronger."
In their defense, the Jumbos faced some of the nation's best, taking on the back-to-back defending champion, St. Thomas, as well as No. 3 Chapman, No. 25 Biola, and NAIA-ranked No. 2 Simon Frasier. Tufts lost the three games by a combined score of 21-2. While the Jumbos' bats started to come around later in the week, the offensive woes were troubling for a team that known for its ability to score runs.
"We got to a point where we could compete with [the top-ranked teams]," said Jess Barrett, a senior co-captain and outfielder. "But we have to hit better."
The Jumbos batted just .275 as a team throughout the tournament and battled inconsistency at the plate. They were held under four runs seven times, compared to five times in all of last season.
"We faced really good pitchers that have been out there a lot already this season," senior co-captain Sarah Conroy said. "One big thing is for us to remember that its not the pitcher's game. It's our game, and we can't worry about what she's throwing."
The Jumbos' offensive struggles were on full display the previous day, as they fell 3-1 to NESCAC foe Amherst. Tufts managed only three hits off of senior Miya Warner, who pitched a complete game for the win, striking out ten.
The teams traded runs in the first inning, but a four-hit inning and passed ball in the top of the second gave the Lord Jeffs their second run and a lead they would not relinquish. Tufts senior Julia Brenta picked up the loss with two strikeouts, seven walks, and 10 hits.
It was more of the same in the second game, as the Jumbos fell 7-0 to No. 25 Biola University that afternoon. A two-out Lopez double in the first failed to rally the Jumbos, and in the bottom of the inning, Biola freshman Keena Levert smacked her seventh home run of the season to put the Eagles up 2-0. The Jumbos turned out only four hits as Bailey took the loss on the mound.
"We have to be more disciplined and look for our pitch," senior co-captain Sarah Conroy said. "That really came together for us in the last two games. We lost to Chapman, but we ended up pounding the ball in the first game [against Taylor]. We had a rocky beginning at the plate, but we started to turn it around later in the week."
The team's bats came alive in its final day of play as the Jumbos split their final two games, beating Taylor 12-7 and losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to Chapman. Five Jumbos had multiple hits in the first game, led by three from sophomore Danielle Lopez and freshman Cara Hovhanessian, including a home run for each. The pair lead the Jumbos at the plate all week, batting .366 and .368 respectively.
A high point for the Jumbos came on Thursday, as they shut out both Wesleyan and St. Catherine's College, 8-0 and 13-0 respectively. The Cardinals had beaten Tufts on Monday, 6-2, but Tufts came out on top the second time around. The Jumbos were buoyed by the tremendous arm of freshman Lauren Gelmetti, who pitched a one-hit shutout in a six-inning game. Gelmetti earned her first collegiate win, striking out six and walking none.
The Jumbo bats were firing against a trio of Cardinal pitchers. Hovhanessian led the offensive outburst with three hits and an RBI, and senior co-captain Jess Barrett went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a run scored, and two RBIs. Lopez added a pair of doubles, RBIs, and runs.
The games gave the Jumbos an early look at league competition.
"Coming back and beating Wesleyan was big for us because these are the teams we're going to play with," Conroy said. "No team is going to lay down for us, and NESCAC teams are getting better every year. People are going to challenge us and that's good for us."
In the second leg of the doubleheader, Tufts was powered to a five-inning 13-0 win over St. Catherine's behind Lopez's two-run homer and three RBIs and Hovhanessian's 3-for-3 performance at the plate. The shutout was split between Conroy, who went three and one-third innings for six strikeouts and no hits, and junior Lauren Ebstein who went one and two-thirds innings, facing just six batters and allowing no hits.
"I think for the most part we had our pitching staff to thank for staying in the games," said Barrett.
In addition to the losses to nationally-ranked Biola and St. Thomas, the Jumbos also faced No. 2 NAIA-ranked Simon Frasier, losing 9-1 in a six-inning game to the Clan, who capped a perfect 8-0 tournament run with the win. The Jumbos' lone run was unearned, and Gelmetti took the loss for the Jumbos, giving up five runs, all earned, in two innings.
The Jumbos return to the East Coast with a 4-8 mark and some ground to make up.
"We knew we'd have a tough schedule, but it was a great way to assess where we are," Conroy said. "Now we have very specific things to work on in practice - being a lot more sharp, on offense and on defense. We don't have anything huge to fix, and that's a good place to be."
