With the NESCAC East crown already wrapped up, the softball team played two doubleheaders this weekend against non-conference opponent Endicott College on Friday and NESCAC rival Colby on Saturday.
The Jumbos split both series, winning one game decisively and losing another in dramatic fashion in both sets. Solid pitching once again anchored the Jumbos, but defensive miscues and inconsistent bats hampered their attempt to finish a perfect NESCAC East season and keep momentum high heading into the league playoffs.
"I think there was a little bit of a lower intensity because it's hard to get up for every game," junior centerfielder Annie Ross said. "It's one of the things we have to work on and it's what happens when you have a young team. I think next weekend we'll definitely be fine in terms of getting up for the games."
At 6-0 heading into the twinbill against last-place Colby, the Jumbos were looking at their best chance at a perfect NESCAC East record in years. With the Jumbos already having locked up the top seed, the 0-6 Mules spoiled what they could by taking the opener in extra innings, 3-2, before running into some heavy bats from the Jumbos to fall 13-5 in a six-inning game.
In the second game, the Jumbos posted nine runs on the board in the top of the sixth, blowing open what was a 4-3 game and making a strong statement going into the NESCAC tournament.
Sophomore Heather Kleinberger had two hits in the rally, leading off with her first home run of the season and, after the Jumbos batted around the lineup, returned to the plate for a two-run single. Freshman Maya Ripecky and sophomore Megan Cusick each had a trio of hits in the game.
Sophomore Erica Bailey started for the Jumbos, having finished off the final three innings of the opener. Bailey gave up three runs and four hits, and was replaced by freshman Lauren Gelmetti, who gave up one earned run and struck out three in four innings of work.
In the series opener, the Jumbos lost their second heartbreaker in as many days, falling to the Mules 3-2 in nine innings. After seven scoreless innings, both teams scratched out a run in the eighth. Tufts added one more in the top of the ninth on freshman Allie Drobiartz's RBI single, but it wasn't enough. Colby won the game on two runs in the bottom of the ninth against Bailey, who had entered in the seventh to relieve junior Lauren Ebstein.
Despite some struggles on the mound, Bailey had a strong day offensively, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Freshman Meghan Foley and sophomore Megan Cusick also had two hits apiece, but the Jumbos could not string together enough consecutive hits to get anything started and the Mules came through in the final inning for the win.
The split doubleheader against Colby followed one against non-conference Endicott on Friday. In the second game, Tufts rebounded from an eight-run deficit but fell just short of victory as the Gulls tacked on a run in the bottom of the sixth to win 9-8. Five Tufts errors led to six unearned runs for the Gulls, including two costly two-out miscues in the first inning that kept the Endicott offense going.
"When we go to NESCACs we have to play better than we have played this weekend," Ross said. "We're going to work really hard this week and try to put on the finishing touches. Hopefully we got it all out of our systems."
Endicott sophomore pitcher Kelly Bregman was on course for a great game, holding onto a one-hitter through four innings. But Tufts' offense came alive in the top of the fifth, putting the Jumbos on the board and beginning a comeback that was highlighted by Cara Hovhanessian's two-run single helped Tufts put up four runs in the inning.
Tufts added four more in the top of the next inning to tie the game, but the impressive comeback was all for naught, as Endicott added one more in the bottom of the sixth. Endicott freshman Casey Shanley scored on a wild pitch for what would be the winning run as Tufts failed to answer in the top of the seventh.
"I think the Endicott game showed how tough we could be," Bailey said. "It proved that we are a team to be reckoned with. Even on our worse day we can come back and we can execute."
The opener proved to be a much less stressful hour and a half for the Jumbos. The team's offense was fully functional; led by Lopez's 2-for-3 performance with a double, 3 RBI and two runs, as well as Drobiartz's 2-for-4 showing with two runs, Tufts' captured a 10-1 win.
Senior Julia Brenta pitched brilliantly, going the distance to earn her seventh win. She held Endicott to only one run, four hits, no walks and had eight strikeouts as the Jumbos broke the game open in the fifth inning with five runs.
Overall, the set of four games this weekend were not the Jumbos' best. However, they are now focused and ready to move on to the NESCAC tournament.
"We didn't play very well [this weekend], and this week is going to be very important in getting back on track and playing the way we need to be playing to beat the teams like Amherst and Williams," said Bailey.
At 24-12 and 7-1 in the NESCAC East, the Jumbos are now finished with their regular season and will begin conference tournament play on Friday against Amherst, the second-place team in the NESCAC West.
"[Amherst] beat us in California [over spring break] and I'm really excited to get back at them and show them the Tufts team that we are," Ross said. "But in reality all we have to do is play Tufts softball and if we do that no one can stop us."
Four teams overall qualify for the tournament and the other matchup features Williams College, who posted a perfect conference record in the West, against Trinity College, the second-place finisher from the East.
With a win over Amherst, the Jumbos may get another crack at Williams. The Ephs ended the Jumbos' NESCAC title dreams last year with a pair of same-day wins from senior hurler Clara Hard, and took the crown for the second year in the row, after three years of Tufts dominance. This year, Tufts returned the favor in the regular season with a doubleheader sweep on Apr. 2. The two are the undeniable forces in the league, and the stage is set for another showdown.
