Tufts' softball team lost consecutive games for the first time this season, dropping both games of a home doubleheader to Williams on Saturday. The No. 1 Jumbos had lost only once in their previous 15 games before being upset twice by their NESCAC rivals.
The first loss, an 8-7 defeat in their first home game of the season, snapped the Jumbos' 12-game winning streak that dated back to March 16. Tufts seemed to have the game well in hand when they took a 6-1 lead after four innings. In the fifth inning, however, the game unraveled, as Williams stunned Tufts with a five runs to tie the game.
The inning started when sophomore right fielder Priscilla Pino reached first on an error, and then moved to second after freshman catcher Ashley Wirth drew a walk. After Pino was thrown out at third on a fielder's choice, senior second baseman Theresa Legan doubled home Wirth for Williams' first run of the game. The very next batter, freshman shortstop Alison Michalik knocked in Wirth and Legan. Two batters later, with runners now on second and third, sophomore third baseman Kacey Cramer hit a two-run single to right to cap off the comeback. The resilient Ephs added two more in the sixth to take an 8-6 advantage.
The Jumbos appeared poised for a comeback when senior co-captain catcher Jo Clair led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple, her second hit of the game, and freshman third baseman Cassie Ruscz singled her home, putting the tying run on base with nobody out. With Tufts threatening, Williams starter junior Emma Harrington retired the next three Jumbos and finished off her complete-game win.
Tufts' starting pitcher, senior Lauren Giglio, also pitched a complete game but took the loss, her first of the season. Nevertheless, she remained upbeat.
"Sometimes losses need to happen to reset a team," Giglio said. "It's the great teams who will rebound and succeed, and we are definitely one of those teams."
Even the best teams have weaknesses, though, and defense has been a sore spot for the Jumbos all season long. Their troubles continued on Saturday as the Jumbos committed four errors in all, including three in the first game that led to three unearned runs.
"I think we have some defensive errors that need to be worked on and can be made into successes the next time around," Giglio said. "I never doubt the ability of my defense, and [I] am confident we can power through those mistakes for the future."
Head coach Cheryl Milligan also said that defense was an issue, but she expects improvement down the road as the younger players gain experience and become more comfortable.
"We are sloppy and young right now, with a lot of puzzle pieces to put in place," Milligan said. "We aren't playing particularly smart defense or using the tools we have yet. We still need to click, but when we do we should be strong."
The second game saw the Ephs score quickly against sophomore starter Erica County, knocking in three runs in the first and another three in the second to take a commanding 6-0 lead. Milligan, forced to make an early call to the bullpen, brought in junior Allyson Fournier to stop the bleeding. Fournier was up to the task, delivering five perfect innings and striking out 10 along the way.
On the mound for Williams, freshman pitcher Brooke Bovier shut down the usually formidable Tufts bats to start the game, holding Tufts hitless for the first three innings.
With Fournier keeping Williams at bay, Tufts chipped away, rallying for two runs in the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles from Clair and Ruscz. Clair struck again in the sixth, smashing her seventh home run of the season. Two batters later, junior second baseman Gracie Marshall blasted her first home run of the year to trim the deficit to two. Despite their late power barrage, the Jumbos were unable to mount one last rally in the seventh and settled for a 6-4 loss, dropping their record to 14-3 on the season.
Giglio said that the losses were tough to swallow but believes Tufts will get back on track for Tuesday's doubleheader at Rhode Island College.
"I expect we'll bounce back with a championship-winning attitude, and the extreme drive we've had and will continue to have," she said.
