Propelled by six home runs and some more record-breaking performances by senior Courtney Bongiolatti, the softball team clinched the top seed and home-field advantage in the NESCAC Tournament.
The Jumbos couldn't sweep Trinity in a Saturday double-header, winning the first game 7-1 and dropping the second 7-6, but it was enough to ensure a berth in the league tournament. The team's 4-0, 6-1 sweep of Colby on Sunday moved the team to 25-6 overall, 7-1 against NESCAC East opponents, and ensured the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage in the first round of playoffs.
It was yet another record-breaking weekend for senior co-captain Courtney Bongiolatti, whose stellar play this season has anchored Jumbos' lineup. She continued her slugging spree, clearing the fence three more times to give her 14 home runs on the season and 32 in her career to tie the all-time record set by Lis Drake from 2000-2003. The senior's five hits yielded five RBIs, giving her a season total of 41 and breaking the Tufts single-season record of 39, set by Jodi Beach in 1995.
The Jumbos took the first game against Colby behind a two-hit shutout from junior Julia Brenta, the second of her career. A close game throughout, Tufts led by only one, a run knocked in on a second-inning double from freshman Heather Kleinberger, until a two-run double in the sixth from freshman Megan Cusick padded the Jumbos' lead. Brenta got the win to remain undefeated at 6-0.
The Tufts pitching staff delivered again in the second half of the doubleheader, as junior Sarah Conroy allowed just one run and six hits in seven innings and struck out six to move to a perfect 8-0 on the season. Bongiolatti's two-run homer in the third put Tufts up 4-0, and her lead-off solo shot in the sixth was part of a two-run inning that sealed the game for the Jumbos. Freshman Danielle Lopez, who leads the team in batting average with a .394 mark in her first season, went 2-3 on the day with two runs scored.
On Saturday, the Jumbos started off the doubleheader with a 7-1 victory over Trinity. Three hits and three strikeouts from freshman Erica Bailey in seven innings was backed up by heavy bats early in the game, as the Jumbos rattled off 10 hits to eclipse the Bantams' three. Back-to-back home runs from Bailey and senior co-captain Katie Smith in the third, and a two-run shot from Lopez in the fourth put the Jumbos up 7-0. The Tufts offense fell silent in the last three innings, but the early runs were enough. Bailey picked up the win, while Trinity sophomore Sarah Dougherty got the loss for Trinity, falling to 1-4 on the season.
With Bongiolatti's two-run shot in the opening minutes, the second game looked to be a repeat of the first. A double from freshman Mara Dodson and two subsequent Trinity errors led to three more runs for the Jumbos in the second inning, and a leadoff Bongiolatti double and RBI single from Smith in the third gave Tufts a 6-0 lead.
"We got all our hits early and we just sat on those runs," Lopez said. "We weren't playing like we needed more runs, and that hurt us."
Two key hits got the Bantams back in the game. A solo home run from senior tri-captain Paige Blumer in the fourth and a three-run shot from junior designated hitter Laura Watson brought Trinity within one. With junior Victoria Moshier holding the Jumbos at the plate, the Bantams brought in two more runs in the sixth to take the lead for good.
"We let Trinity build up confidence," Smith said. "They got some big hits and saw they had a chance and got really pumped. We hadn't been hitting and we had a tough time getting our bats back."
"We should have taken both those games," Lopez said. "It was kind of a wake-up call, a reminder that we're not invincible and that we have to go out and play every inning. We have a lot of strength, and we definitely learned a lot [from the loss] going into Sunday's games."
The strength of Tufts pitching has contributed all year to a team whose bats seem to be drawing all the attention. Brenta and Conroy remain undefeated this season, and four Tufts hurlers have an ERA of 1.76 or lower.
"We definitely have a lot of faith in our pitchers," Lopez said. "We know they're out there in front of us and they know we're behind them. They can all throw and we've been able to rely on each and every one of them this season."
The weekend finished out the regular season for the Jumbos, who will host the first round of the NESCAC tournament next weekend at Spicer Field.
"We have a lot of strength," Lopez said. "We have a great chance to go into NESCACs and bring it back to Tufts, win it all. We're definitely ready."
"Going into the tournament I don't think we have anything specific to work on," Smith said. "I think everyone has [Regionals and Nationals] in the back of their heads, but we just need to come out, play our game, and see how far it can take us."
