An all-star freshman class, the returning NESCAC Player of the Year, a near-untouchable league winning streak, and an offensive explosion that seemed to turn out big hits on command were not enough. What looked to be the most promising season in years came to an end for the Tufts softball team on Sunday, May 15 as they fell 9-0 to Williams in the championship game of the NESCAC tournament.
The Ephs picked up their second consecutive league title as the Jumbos saw their chance at a banner fade away at the hands of a no-hitter from Williams junior Clara Hard in her second shutout of the day.
The loss put an end to Tufts' 27-8 season much sooner than expected, as the Jumbos' season-long domination had looked to put them in contention for a national berth. The win gave the Ephs their second NESCAC championship, coinciding with the move of former Tufts coach Kris Herman, who led the Jumbos to their first three NESCAC championships before taking over as the head coach at Williams.
The Ephs came out slamming, knocking in five runs on six hits in the first inning, including back-to-back home runs from junior Christine Williams and sophomore Katelyn Knox. The Williams lineup ripped fourteen hits off Tufts junior Julia Brenta, who fell to 7-1 with her first loss of the year.
The Tufts bats were uncharacteristically silent. Throughout the year, the Jumbo offense has carried the team, leading the league in team batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, home runs, total bases, RBIs and runs scored, and, until Sunday's game, hits.
But Hard silenced the Jumbos for her second win of the day after shutting out Tufts 2-0 in Sunday morning's second-round game. The junior's 0.70 ERA and 15 wins are league-bests, and she added three more with her sweep of the tournament.
"We just didn't hit," coach Cheryl Milligan said. "I give a lot of credit to Clara [Hard] - she pitched a great game. We got frustrated early and our bats just didn't come around like we're used to them doing."
Tufts reached the tournament final on wins over Middlebury in the first round and Trinity in the consolation round after being dealt a loss by Williams in between the victories. On Friday, the Jumbos overcame unseasonable weather conditions to defeat the Panthers 2-0. Despite a solid showing from Middlebury senior pitcher Megan McCarthy and a strong wind that blew several long shots short into the gloves of Middlebury outfielders, the Tufts offense was able to capitalize.
Two hits from senior co-captain Courtney Bongiolatti contributed to both runs, as she scored one after reaching base and batted in the other. A leadoff triple down the right field line in the fourth inning put Bongiolatti in perfect position for a sacrifice fly to center from freshman Erica Bailey. In the sixth, freshman Danielle Lopez, the NESCAC Rookie of the Year, ripped her second single of the game and was knocked in by a Bongiolatti double.
The weather only got worse on Saturday, and the day's games were cancelled due to the rain. Rescheduled for Sunday and moved to Wheaton College, the second round was not as lucky for the Jumbos. Despite just four hits and six strikeouts from Bailey, Tufts was shutout by Hard and notched only one hit, a long single from Bongiolatti. Both Eph runs in the bottom of the sixth were unearned. The rally was sparked by singles from freshman Kristen Lemons and junior Alana Frost, and the runs scored on a Bongiolatti error.
The loss sent Tufts to the consolation round for a matchup against Trinity with a trip to the final on the line. The Jumbos needed a win to stay in the tournament, and that's exactly what they produced. The Bantams took an early 1-0 lead in the third, but Tufts sophomore Alaina Thiel, two for three on the day, evened the score with her first home run of the season, a deep shot to left-center.
With the game knotted at one heading into the seventh inning, the Jumbos found their offensive rhythm as senior co-captain Katie Smith followed a two-run single from Bailey with a two-run homer to put Tufts up by four. Trinity had a chance to turn the game around in the bottom of the inning as they loaded the bases, but junior pinch runner Dena Raffa was thrown out at the plate trying to squeeze another run out of a one-run single by senior Paige Blumer. Junior Sarah Conroy picked up the win for the Jumbos, fanning seven Bantams to improve to 9-1 on the season.
While the abrupt end to the season was a disappointment, Milligan emphasized the team's phenomenal accomplishments throughout the year.
"We took six rookies and put them on the field with two seniors and a sophomore, and we had a great season," Milligan said. "It's a tough way for the seniors to go out, but they've left a mark on an extremely talented group of underclassmen who have three great seasons left."
