Despite having only recorded a total of three innings prior to yesterday's start, junior Heather Kleinberger certainly didn't look out of practice.
Boosted by the Jumbo offense, whose eight-run effort yielded its ninth win in ten games, Kleinberger rose to the challenge, giving up four runs on eight hits over five and two-thirds innings to record an 8-4 victory.
Kleinberger looked a bit shaky at the get-go. On the second pitch of the game, Brandeis first baseman junior Kate Streilein launched a home run to left. Kleinberger then gave up a single before a nice defensive play from second baseman sophomore Roni Herbst stopped the charge. With a leaping grab, Herbst helped the Jumbos turn a double play to escape the jam.
Kleinberger settled down after the first, holding off the Judges offensively through the fifth inning.
"[Kleinberger] doesn't really get to pitch a lot in practice because she plays shortstop," sophomore catcher Cara Hovhanessian said. "Considering that, she did a good job rebounding from the home run and holding them scoreless after that."
The Jumbos' bats were swinging in the second, when Hovhanessian led off the inning with a walk and Kleinberger followed with a single. After a one-out throwing error, Hovhanessian advanced to third, and then scored on another throwing error on the same play to even the score at one apiece. Kleinberger, who advanced to third on the throw, also tried to score but was tagged out at the plate.
Tufts struck again in the bottom of the fifth, when freshman Casey Sullivan hit a two out, two-run home run, her sixth of the season, scoring sophomore Laura Chapman. After being hit by a pitch for the seventh time this season, sophomore Maya Ripecky stole second and was driven in by freshman Christy Tinker's RBI single, bringing the score to 4-1.
Kleinberger found herself in trouble again in the top of the sixth. After giving up a leadoff single and a double, an RBI single by Streilein scored one run, putting runners on the corners with one out. After a fielder's choice plated a run, the next batter reached base safely, and the bases were loaded with two outs in a 4-3 game.
Brandeis sophomore Samantha Worth hit an RBI single, scoring one run and prompting Coach Cheryl Milligan to bring in senior co-captain Lauren Ebstein to finish the inning.
"I was getting behind a lot of batters," Kleinbeger said. "They took advantage of it. I was a little sore by then, but no excuses."
The pitching change ended Brandeis' scoring efforts for the afternoon. With the bases loaded, Ebstein induced freshman Erin Ross to pop out in four pitches.
"Ebs did a great job in relief," Hovhanessian said. "She was really working the corners and keeping them off balance."
Kleinberger led off the seventh with a groundball to shortstop, followed by singles from Ebstein, senior Alaina Thiel, and Herbst. With the bases full, Chapman walked, scoring Ebstein and giving the Jumbos a 5-4 lead. The Judges then brought in freshman Emily Vaillette, who gave up three runs, including a two out two-run RBI single to Ripecky.
Ebstein stayed on to throw a scoreless seventh, securing the victory for Tufts and bumping her record to 4-1.
The game was a solid one for a Jumbo team that has played six games in the past four days on account of rainouts.
"Obviously people are going to get tired and sore, but I think that we've been taking it one game at a time and done pretty well," junior tri-captain Megan Cusick said. "We've remained pretty tough and we're getting through it."
With just two games left against Endicott today before the Jumbos start a critical series with the Colby Mules, the Tufts squad is confident that they can successfully close out the season as champions of the NESCAC East.
"After the game, coach was talking about how we're one of the deepest teams around," Hovhanessian said. "She said it doesn't really matter who we put on the field because we have 22 talented kids on the team and we're going to find a way to get it done."
The Jumbos are not getting ahead of themselves, however, as they still need one victory over the Mules to secure the title.
"[Colby] is certainly a team we can't take for granted," Cusick said. "Last year they came away with one win. The bottom line is that we can't underestimate them and we're just looking to play our top game."
