Tufts women’s softball began their season last weekend at the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Georgia. Coming off a 39–10 record, a NESCAC semifinal appearance and an NCAA Division-III College World Series appearance last season, the Jumbos were looking to start this season off strong at the showcase.
After a strenuous preseason, the Jumbos were ready to see results. “The team is super excited to get back onto the dirt and see how all of our hard work in the offseason, whether in the weight room or on the field, pays off,” first-year Kenzie Sturgill wrote in an email to the Daily.
The weekend started off strong with a 8–2 win against LaGrange College. The Jumbos outhit the Panthers 14–4. Sophomore Heaven Oliva led Tufts to victory with three hits, two of them being home runs in her first two at-bats of the game, and four RBIs.
Unfortunately for Tufts, their first win did not propel them to another victory, and they ended up falling to Gettysburg College the same day with a score of 7–4. Despite the loss, Oliva still continued her strong performance with another home run this game to up her tally for the day to three.
Sturgill found that their hard work in preseason was evident in their first day of games. “Our main focus during practices has been on our hitting, which resulted in a whopping 7 homeruns in one day for the Jumbos,” she wrote.
The next day came with two more losses in five-inning games, both to the top two rated teams in the NFCA Division-III preseason rankings. The Jumbos were ranked sixth in the preseason poll. The first game was against Eastern Texas Baptist University. After a strong start with the Jumbos scoring three runs in the first inning, two of them brought in by a double by junior Haley Leimbach, they were unable to keep up the momentum and ended up scoring only one more run in the game. The Tigers tied the game up in the second inning and took a demanding lead in the third, scoring an additional six runs. The Jumbos went on to lose the game 12–4.
In their second game of the day, Tufts faced off against Linfield University. The Wildcats took the lead early in the top of the first with an RBI single and then doubled their lead in the second. Despite the Jumbos cutting the Wildcats’ lead in half in the bottom of the second, the Wildcats quickly answered with eight runs in the top of the third. There was little the Jumbos could do, and after scoring one more run in the fourth, the game ended with the Jumbos down 10–2.
Even with the continued losses, the Jumbos kept their energy high. “The team did exceptionally well with keeping a positive mindset and encouraging one another on and off the field,” Sturgill wrote.
On Sunday, the Jumbos experienced another unfortunate day of losses. Their first loss of the day was to Case Western Reserve University, ranked seventh on the NFCA’s Division-III preseason rankings. The game started with two scoreless innings, before the Spartans took a 3–0 lead in the bottom of the third. They scored two more in the bottom of the fourth, with the Jumbos putting one on the board in top of the same inning. The sixth inning was the Jumbos’ chance to shine. They successfully cut the lead to 5–4 in the top of the sixth with two RBIs by freshman infielder Cat Kawabe and junior utility player Lauryn Horita, and one unearned run. The Spartans didn’t allow the hope to last for long, putting the final run of the night on the board in the bottom of the sixth. The game ended 6–4 in the Spartans’ favor.
Tufts finished off the NFCA Leadoff Classic against Trine University, the No. 10 ranked team on the NFCA Divison-III preseason rankings. The Thunder took a quick lead, putting up two in the top of the second and didn’t let up their momentum, with six total on the board by the fourth inning. They added another five in the seventh and ended the game with a total of 11 runs scored. The Jumbos couldn’t keep up, scoring one in the fourth and one in the seventh, resulting in an 11–2 loss.
Despite the losses, the Jumbos felt that the showcase was beneficial to them. “We faced very competitive and strong teams in the NFCA Leadoff Classic and we gained a lot of insight into areas where we could improve,” Sturgill wrote.
The Jumbos are looking to turn their 1–5 record around at the Margie Knight Softball Classic in Salisbury, Maryland the weekend of March 15. Their first home game and NESCAC game is March 29 against Bowdoin College.
