When the softball team set out for its 12-game seven-day West Coast swing, it was just hoping to emerge with a record above .500.
No problem there.
After finishing last year's trip with a 4-8 record at the Sun West Tournament held in Orange, Calif., coach Cheryl Milligan's team turned things around this time, outscoring opponents 101-47 and emerging with an 8-4 record.
Despite winning eight of their first 10, the Jumbos ended their week on a sour note Saturday with back-to-back losses against Pacific and Linfield, as Tufts was victimized by shaky pitching and defensive miscues.
In the tournament finale against national powerhouse Linfield, junior pitcher Erica Bailey gave up four earned runs on nine hits and four walks in five innings of work, while two fourth-inning errors led to two more unearned runs. Meanwhile, Wildcat sophomore Brittany Miller stymied the usually-potent Jumbo offense, going the distance for a six-hit, three-run effort.
"I got knocked around," said Bailey, who is also a Senior Staff Writer for the Daily. "But I also learned what needs to be done for the rest of the season. I'm ready to help out on the mound, on the field and with my bat."
Earlier on Saturday, the Jumbos dropped a 6-3 decision to Pacific, as five Tufts errors led to four unearned runs, causing the team to squander a two-run first-inning lead. Freshman starting pitcher and California native Stefanie Tong struggled on the mound, throwing three wild pitches in the second inning.
"We didn't follow the errors up with big hits like we needed to," junior infielder Heather Kleinberger said. "It cost us."
"We should definitely have beaten Pacific," she added. "It was a wake-up call that everyone needs to step up and play each game with focus and determination."
"As far as I'm concerned, the team that came out to play was not the Tufts team that I play for," Bailey said. "We came out very flat and we were waiting for Pacific to beat us, which they did."
The back-to-back losses were a disappointing end to an otherwise stellar week for the Jumbos, who strung together five-straight wins to start the week, picking up victories against NESCAC rivals Wesleyan, Williams and Amherst along the way. After squeaking by the Cardinals 2-1 on March 19 behind a complete-game seven-hit effort from Tong, the Jumbos unleashed torrid offensive assaults on the Ephs and Jeffs, earning run-rule victories after torching them for a combined 29 runs.
While some thought the season-ending knee injury to reigning NESCAC Player of the Year and junior Danielle Lopez would hamper the team's offense, the Jumbos seemed to have adjusted to her absence. Tufts is currently surpassing last season's totals in several offensive categories, batting a combined .376, slugging .514 and posting an on-base percentage of .423.
"We got some big hits and made some nice plays," Kleinberger said. "I think we played pretty well."
"I think I will definitely be able to surpass last season's totals," added Kleinberger, whose OBP has risen over .150 points from last season. "I already have more at-bats than I had at this point last season."
Due to Lopez's injury, Kleinberger is now the only upperclassman in the infield, a responsibility that she does not take lightly.
"I have to make sure that everyone knows what they're doing," she said. "I try not to put a lot of pressure on myself. That's when I start not playing at my full potential."
Freshman first baseman Christy Tinker is making her presence known as well, leading the team with a .500 batting, .714 slugging percentage, while pounding out six doubles and 30 total bases.
Sophomore Samantha Kuhles, who finished last season with a .379 batting average, .383 OBP and 12 RBI, is on pace to surpass her totals in each of these categories. In the 12 games, she is batting .478, with an OBP of .500, with seven RBI.
The Jumbos will take their unbeaten NESCAC mark into the weekend, when they will host a three-game series against Bates starting Friday.
"We came back knowing what needs to be done to face and beat our NESCAC competition, and that we need to push ourselves," Bailey said. "All in all, it was a great trip."
"As a team, I think we definitely came out of California with high hopes of what we can do overall in NESCAC and Regionals this season," Kleinberger said.
