After grinding through a midweek lull without any games, being thrown into the fire did not seem to faze the softball team, as the Jumbos took five contests over three days this weekend to maintain their unblemished 26-0 record. The Jumbos wrapped up their weekend with two wins on Sunday against Wellesley and Eastern Connecticut one day after sweeping NESCAC rival Colby in a three-game conference series.
After mercy-ruling Colby in all three contests, the Jumbos had a much more difficult time getting their offense going on Sunday, but they downed Eastern Connecticut, 2-0, immediately after defeating host Wellesley, 6-5.
"I think we're pretty exhausted right now, but we've played games like this in California, so we have the stamina to keep pushing through it," senior quad-captain Cara Hovhanessian said. "It's kind of how it goes. The five days off were important, but we were still practicing every day. It definitely gave us time to work on a lot of little things, and they definitely came in handy this weekend."
Against the Warriors in the nightcap, the Jumbos broke a scoreless drought with two runs in the top of the seventh, solidifying the victory for sophomore pitcher Izzie Santone, who pitched an absolute gem to earn her 12th win of the season.
In the seventh frame, senior quad-captain Samantha Kuhles led off the inning with a single, but Tufts appeared destined to strand her, as two consecutive batters popped out to junior shortstop Kim Church. Yet the Jumbos were given a second wind when junior Christy Tinker reached on an error, senior Maya Ripecky singled and classmate Danielle Lopez ripped a single to center, driving in two runs and securing the win.
Santone, who pitched a complete game four-hitter for Tufts, ceded a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh but settled down and induced two flyouts to center. She was aided by senior quad-captain Laura Chapman, who gunned down a Warrior runner at second to end any potential threat of a comeback.
In the first game of the afternoon, the Jumbos weathered a furious Wellesley rally in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on for a one-run victory. Santone came on to work the final frame and ceded two runs on four hits before inducing a foul-out to the catcher with the bases loaded, stifling the comeback.
The Jumbos struck first in the third inning when Hovhanessian doubled to center, scoring two. Wellesley, though, answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame, when junior Alex Warren homered off Tufts senior starter Lauren Gelmetti to lead off the inning. The Blue then scored a pair in the bottom of the fourth, only to be outdone by a Jumbo four-run bombardment in the top of the sixth inning, setting up the dramatics in the seventh.
For the game, Hovhanessian and freshman Lena Cantone each drove in a pair of runs, and both Hovhanessian and senior quad-captain Roni Herbst tacked on two hits to lead the club. Cantone reached base in all four plate appearances, scoring two runs and walking three times. On the mound, Gelmetti improved to 11-0, pitching six innings and scattering three runs on eight hits.
The two games on Sunday seemed to be a statement from the Jumbos that they have what it takes to win even in close contests, especially given that eight of their previous 12 wins had come by virtue of the mercy rule. Even when they are down, Hovhanessian said, the squad remains confident that it can come back.
"People can say what they want to say about the NESCAC in general, but when we're in close games, we win them," she said. "We beat Wellesley when they had the winning run on second. We don't get flustered because we know that our experience will come through, and we'll get it done. Teams that think we'll fall apart if we get behind are just wrong."
"Especially for some of the early games, and this past weekend, we had a lot of games where the competition hasn't been as strong as we would like to see," Herbst added. "It's important to play close games so that you know what your team is capable of doing. We're not going to score 15 runs a game later in the season, but holding teams to zero or one runs says a lot about how deep our lineup is."
While the relative offensive lull reared its ugly head on Sunday, the Jumbos had absolutely no trouble pounding out the hits against Colby, sweeping the Mules by a combined 27-3 in the three-game series to clinch the NESCAC East division title. All three of Colby's runs, additionally, came in the final contest, an 11-3 Tufts win.
Due to downpour that struck Medford on Saturday, the two squads met in Waterville, Maine for the conclusion of the three-game series. Despite the change in scenery, that contest was no different from the first, as the Jumbos rolled to an 11-3 victory in just five frames, epitomizing the NESCAC dominance that Tufts has exhibited thus far.
In the contest, Tufts racked up 17 hits, led by Ripecky, who tallied three on the day. Tinker smacked two doubles in her two at bats, driving in three runs, while Kuhles chipped in with three RBI as well. Every Tufts starter recorded at least one base hit in the game.
"I have so much confidence in every single one of our players, and everyone is capable of having a huge day every day," Herbst said. "Whether it's a senior, a freshman, a fifth-year or a sophomore, that confidence definitely comes in handy. It's a huge thing to have down the road because we know what we can accomplish as a team. Anyone can step up."
Junior pitcher Stefanie Tong was extremely efficient in the circle, carrying a perfect game into the fourth inning before Colby struck, scoring all three runs over the final two frames. Still, Tong gave up only four hits and three walks on the afternoon.
"Our pitchers threw great, just like they have all year," Hovhanessian said. "Even when they get tired and may not be throwing as fast, they still have the movement and are still able to get people out by hitting their spots. I think they have a lot of confidence in how they throw."
In the two games on Friday on Spicer Field, the Jumbos rode eerily similar stat lines to almost identical wins, taking both games 8-0 in five innings. In the latter game, first-year Mira Lieman-Sifry, starting in her sixth game of the year, drove in five runs from the eight-spot in the lineup, including a three-run home run in the five-run third inning. She later doubled in Lopez and junior Casey Sullivan to solidify the mercy rule in the fifth.
"All of our hitters have power and are capable of getting the job done," Hovhanessian said. "Everyone knows their role in the lineup. I don't think anyone was surprised with the day that [Mira] had, and we all hope she can keep doing it. It says a tremendous amount about our team. If that's your not everyday starter, think about what one through nine can do on an everyday basis. There's no way to pitch around us."
In the circle, Gelmetti won her 10th game of the year, allowing four hits over five innings of work and striking out five Mules. At the plate, Sullivan and Ripecky each had two hits for Tufts.
Earlier in the first contest, Tufts had nearly the same stat line as in the nightcap, pounding out seven hits and eight runs over five innings. Santone pitched one-hit ball in the blowout win, striking out two batters and allowing only a leadoff single in the fourth inning. At the plate, the wealth was spread up and down the lineup, as only Cantone and Sullivan had multiple hits in the game.
With the 5-0 weekend, the Jumbos will get Monday off before entering another arduous streak, in which they will play six games in five days. Tomorrow, Tufts will face Bridgewater State, a team which the Jumbos beat 14-0 earlier this month, before traveling to Babson for a doubleheader on Wednesday. This upcoming weekend, Tufts rounds out its NESCAC schedule with three games at Bowdoin.
"Babson is going to bring another good pitcher, and I think it's important for us to play teams with good pitchers and get hits off of them and be able to make adjustments," Hovhanessian said. "I think that those Babson games are going to be very important to play another good New England team that will give us a tough game. It's good to not always win in five innings, to be able to win tough games and stay composed. I think it shows that we don't need to always blow teams out."
