LAUREN MURPHY, WOMEN'S LACROSSE
Coming into her team's conference showdown with No. 10 Trinity, senior midfielder Lauren Murphy had posted eight goals and 11 points on the young season. Saturday's clash with the Bantams, however, proved to be Murphy's breakout game of the 2007 campaign, as she notched five goals and two assists, keying the Jumbos' 16-7 upset victory.
Murphy did most of her damage in the final 30 minutes, helping Tufts turn a 5-4 halftime lead into a blowout. During a 17-minute second-half stretch, when the Jumbos scored nine unanswered goals and built their lead to 10, Murphy posted two tallies and one assist. In all, the senior scored four times in the second half.
Murphy's efforts were all the more important considering Tufts entered the game under .500 against its NESCAC foes. With the victory, the Jumbos improved to 2-2 in conference, lifting them to sixth place in the NESCAC standings. Tufts is also sure to move up in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association poll, where they are currently ranked 19th in Div. III.
STEVE RAGONESE, BASEBALL
Talk about a breakout weekend.
Junior right fielder Steve Ragonese entered the baseball team's home-opening series as the Jumbos' cleanup hitter, and by series' end, it was perfectly clear why. The slugger terrorized the Bates Bobcats' pitching staff, driving in eight runs in three games, including seven in the series' finale, in which he went 5-for-6 with two homers.
In the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, Ragonese fueled the Tufts offense from the beginning. After sophomore Kevin Casey doubled in the first inning, Ragonese plated him with the game's first run, singling him home for the first of his seven RBI.
The Jumbos took a 2-0 lead into the second - a lead they spend the whole game extending. Senior tri-captain Bryan McDavitt doubled home two runs to make it 4-0, and with McDavitt on second, Ragonese launched a shot to right-center, opening a 6-0 lead on his fourth home run of the year.
The junior was also 2-for-2 in his stolen base attempts Saturday afternoon, establishing his presence on the Jumbos as a true five-tool threat.
At weekend's end, Ragonese leads the Jumbos in home runs (5), runs batted in (18), total bases (36) and slugging percentage (.655). He is also perfect in his three stolen base attempts on the year, and has yet to make an error in 14 games as the Jumbos' right fielder.
