Tufts splits series with Bates and Bowdoin

It was one of those good news, bad news weekends for the Tufts softball team.

The good news was that the team ended its ten game losing streak with a victory over NESCAC rival Bowdoin on Friday. The bad news was that the Jumbos split both of the series with Bowdoin and Bates on Friday and Saturday, respectively, when they had hoped for at least one series sweep.

The Jumbos defeated Bowdoin 7-5 in the first game on Friday afternoon in Medford. But Bowdoin's pitching proved too much for them in game two, as the Polar Bears came away with a 3-1 victory in eight innings to round out the day.

In Maine on Saturday, the Bates Bobcats trounced the Jumbos, 6-1, in game one, with Tufts squeaking out a 4-3 victory to split the series.

"We were happy to get some wins this weekend because we hadn't been doing well recently, but we're still not satisfied with splitting double-headers," senior tri-captain Deana Davidian said.

Junior shortstop Courtney Bongiolatti, who had a big weekend at the plate, seconded Davidian's assessment.

"We played better this weekend than we have in the past. I think we're getting back on track but we know there's a lot of room for improvement before we get to the level where we play like the team we know we can be," she said.

In the Jumbos victory over Bowdoin, Bongiolatti and junior first baseman Katie Smith carried the offense. Bongiolatti smacked two home runs and drove in five of the seven Jumbo runs. Smith went 4-4 with a solo home-run and a double, driving in one and scoring one.

"I'm not doing anything differently right now," Bongiolatti said. "I'm just getting in a groove and once someone does I think it's easier for the entire team to start to hit better as a whole."

In the second game, Bowdoin pitcher Emily Nelson was dominant. Nelson shut down the Jumbos offense, only allowing three hits and one run in eight innings, striking out an astonishing fourteen Tufts batters. It was a quick turnaround for the Tufts offense as they went from slamming home runs to managing just three hits, two of them coming from Davidian.

"We tend to hit decent pitching very well, but we don't have as much success against real good pitching," Davidian explained. "We've just got to make adjustments."

In the first game against Bates, the Jumbos ran into a solid pitching performance once again. Bates hurler Sarah Klenakis pitched seven strong innings, allowing only four hits and one run on the day.

Tufts had better luck in the second game, however, as Bongiolatti, Smith, and senior tri-captain Julie Fox powered the offense to a 4-3 victory. Bongiolatti hit her sixth home run of the season, while Fox added her third blast of the year. Smith had two hits and also scored a run for Tufts. Sophomore relief pitcher Julia Brenta, who came in for freshman starter Lauren Ebstein, tied the score with an RBI single in the sixth, and then Bongiolatti's home-run put Tufts ahead for good in the seventh.

The upcoming weekend will be important for Tufts, as it plays four games against NESCAC opponents. The games will be a big factor in where Tufts is seeded in the tournament, or if they make it at all.

"Next weekend is going to be the most important of the season for us," Davidian said. "If we win all four games, we have a decent shot for a very high seed in the tournament, but if we do very poorly, there's a chance we won't make it at all. It's really a make or break weekend for us."

Bongiolatti is expecting big things from the Jumbos this weekend.

"If we play the way we know we can, I think we can absolutely win all four of the games," she said.

Despite the high hopes for Tufts, the players know they can't take anything for granted.

"We have a good chance to win the four games," Davidian said. "But crazy things have been happening in the NESCAC all season so I feel like anything can happen."