For the nationally ranked No. 12 softball team, the annual trip to California was nothing but sunshine this season.
The Jumbos are currently sitting at 12-0, a program-best start, following two wins over Cal Lutheran and a perfect 10-0 record at the Sun West Tournament. The Jumbos kept getting better over the course of the week, closing the festivities with a pair of wins over NESCAC West division rival Hamilton, as well as wins against Holy Names and Hamline, and outscoring their opponents 31-7 over the final four games.
"We have a lot of things we want to accomplish," senior pitcher Lauren Gelmetti said. "This is a great way to start off what will hopefully prove to be one of the best seasons we have had. Going undefeated in California was a great feeling. It was really tough -- there were a couple games where we won in the eighth inning, and that just showed how tough we can be. And of course, it is a great feeling coming back 12-0."
The final game of the week against Hamline featured the best pitching performance of the tournament for the Jumbos, as sophomore hurler Izzie Santone topped off a great week with a two-hit shutout to help Tufts to a 4-0 win on Friday. Santone finished the trip with six wins and a 0.25 ERA in 36 innings.
Tufts got its first run of the day in the second inning when senior right fielder Maya Ripecky singled, advanced on an error by Hamline junior third baseman Brenna Healy, and eventually scored on a single by sophomore DH Julia Silberman. Ripecky was on fire at the plate all week, finishing the trip with a .525 average, three home runs, 15 RBI and an astounding 1.000 slugging percentage over the 12 games. The Jumbos added three more in the fifth, thanks to a trio of RBI singles from Ripecky, senior quad-captain and center fielder Laura Chapman and senior second baseman Danielle Lopez.
That was more than enough padding for Santone, who had little trouble against the Pipers' lineup. Her only problem came in the sixth, when a walk and a single put runners on first and third with two outs. Santone buttoned things up, however, and struck out senior DH Sarah Dittberner to negate the threat.
"I think we have been working really hard the last five weeks," Gelmetti said. "We were throwing a lot, so the coaching staff was working to build up our endurance because we played 12 games in six days with no break. Izzie did a great job -- she was in an awesome groove."
In the first game Friday, Tufts played Hamilton for the second day in a row and handled the Continentals for a 12-5 win after falling behind. Junior pitcher Erin Gallagher struggled early, surrendering a three-run homer to Hamilton senior catcher Amber O'Connor, but Gelmetti came on in relief to shut down the opposition.
With its team down, the Jumbo offense came to life. Ripecky started the onslaught with a two-run homer and added an RBI double in a huge fifth inning for Tufts. Freshman Lena Cantone, playing at DH, hit her first career homer to cap off the five-run inning. The sixth inning was more of the same, with the Jumbos knocking in three runs, thanks largely to a two-run double by Lopez, and then adding two more in the final inning.
"I think we just kind of did what we have been practicing all winter and looked for good pitches to hit," senior quad-captain Cara Hovhanessian said. "Maya had a really great week; [senior quad-captain Roni Herbst] and [Chapman], the faster kids, did really well. We don't really have any easy outs in the lineup anywhere. The spark can come from anywhere and the fact that we all know if we don't get it done someone else will is really important offensively."
In their Thursday game against Hamilton, the Jumbos did not need a comeback to ensure victory. Instead, they flexed their offensive muscle in a five-run first inning to cruise to a 9-2 win. With Gelmetti allowing just a single hit in her five innings of work, a two-run homer from Hovhanessian and RBI triples from Lopez and junior shortstop Casey Sullivan were more than enough for Tufts.
Although the Continentals got back two runs in the top of the sixth, the Jumbos came right back with four more to erase any doubt. Ripecky's three-run triple, the third of the game for Tufts, pushed the team to a comfortable lead.
In the other Thursday game, Tufts recorded what would be the second of three shutouts in the Sun West Tournament in a 6-0 victory over Holy Names. The tandem of Santone and Gelmetti allowed four hits each but let only one Hawks player get to third base on the day.
Hovhanessian provided the power for the Jumbos with a two-run blast to left field in the third inning. Lopez and Ripecky also continued their impressive hitting displays with a combined 4-for-5 day and an RBI apiece.
Tufts will bring its undefeated record into its first set of home games next weekend against NESCAC East foe Bates. Despite the perfect start, the Jumbos are certainly still looking to improve.
"Coach [Cheryl Milligan] talked to us a lot about being more selective at the plate and hitting more balls down into the ground," Hovhanessian said. "We had a lot of flyouts and pop-ups, especially against slower pitching. We need to have more discipline at the plate; that is one thing we definitely have to learn."
"Defensively, there were a few errors we had to clean up, but it was our first time outside," Hovhanessian continued. "Definitely there are a few things we can improve on everywhere, but I think it was a great start to our season."
