Jumbos high gear offense overcomes Brandies

The softball team exploded for 11 runs and 15 hits yesterday and beat Brandies 11-3 in the team's final regular scheduled home game.

Along with the victory, the team also broke the previous season record for team home runs, hitting the team's 23rd and 24th of the season. The team record previously stood at 22 homeruns on the season, a statistic recorded in both 2002 and 2001.

"It was a good win with a lot of good hits," coach Kris Herman said.

The afternoon began for Tufts when the team was able to take advantage of a walk, a sacrifice fly, and a stolen base to turn one hit into two runs for the team. Tufts efforts in the first inning put the Jumbos ahead, 2-0.

The lead did not last long for the team though, as Brandies answered with three runs of its own against freshman pitcher Sarah Conroy. Conroy allowed a leadoff home run and then gave up two walks to allow Brandies to take the lead at 3-2.

"Sarah was struggling a bit with her drop ball," Herman said.

After tying the game in the bottom of the second, the Jumbos took the final lead of the game on a third inning RBI double from sophomore Katie Smith.

Freshman Julia Brenta relieved Conroy in the third inning, holding down Brandies and allowing Tufts to take over the game.

It was in the fourth inning that the team finally took the game into its hands, tapping Brandies pitcher Bri Smith for six hits and five runs.

"Her pitches weren't moving at all, the ball was just coming up," junior Julie Fox said. "She was only throwing fastballs and if someone throw's fast balls at us, we're going to end up hitting them."

Herman added, "She was just trying to throw it by us and you can't get by us that easily."

Tufts' fourth inning scoring attack began with a two RBI home runs from Davidian. Notching her first career homerun, Davidian was also the one to hit the team's 23rd of the season, breaking the past year's record.

"Going up to the plate I had seen the ball well in my last at bat and was really confident," Davidian said. "I was just waiting for my pitch to drive it. It was really exciting."

Hits by sophomore Courtney Bongialotti, Drake, and Fox all followed, leading to another three runs for the team. Fox has now hit safely in six of her past seven games, adding a double and a single against Brandies.

"I just have some days where I go up there and the field looks so big and the fielders look so small," Fox said.

Despite her offensive onslaught of late, Fox has not been the only strong hitter for the team.

"We're all hitting with a lot of confidence. When everyone on the team is hitting well you just feed off each other," Fox said.

Hitting the team's 24th home run of the season, freshmen Laura Spring put the icing on the cake with her two run homerun in the bottom of the fifth, allowing the Jumbos to end the game according to the run rule.

With the victory against Brandies, the team now focuses on this evening's opponent Eastern Connecticut College, a program that hit its peak with national championships in the late 1980's. Though the Jumbos are not facing the toughest Eastern Connecticut College team, Tufts is still prepared for a strong out of conference matchup.

"They're one of those middle of the road teams on their way to a comeback," Herman said. "They don't have anything we can't handle but they're the kind of team we have to respect."

Tufts will begin a double header at Eastern Connecticut at five this evening, playing game two under the lights for the first time this season.