The softball team entered 2007 as the defending champion of the NESCAC East. After this weekend, it looks poised to defend that title.
The Jumbos swept their series against division rival Trinity Bantams this weekend, 3-2, 7-3, 8-0, outscoring them over the three-game set by a combined 18-5 and definitively establishing themselves as the team to beat in the division race.
After finishing off the Bantams Saturday, the Jumbos traveled to Wheaton, where they split a doubleheader with the host Lyons. Their 4-2 loss in yesterday's first game ended a seven-game winning streak, but Tufts bounced back in game two, prevailing 5-2 for its 20th win of the season.
Yesterday's Wheaton doubleheader was a match-up of regional titans, as the Jumbos entered with NESCAC East lead and the Lyons came in as the No. 6 team in New England.
Senior tri-captain Lauren Ebstein, who is also an editor at the Daily, pitched the first game, surrendering four runs in four-plus innings of work, before being relieved by sophomore Lauren Gelmetti. Gelmetti had a busy week, pitching a complete game in the Trinity series before turning in relief work in game one yesterday and a two-run complete-game win in the second game against the Lyons.
"She did an incredible job on the mound," said junior pitcher Erica Bailey, who is also a senior staff writer for the Daily. "She hit her spots really well. She came out and was a true competitor."
While Gelmetti pitched the Jumbos to the win in game two, the first game was tougher for the Tufts squad. Ebstein allowed two-run Lyon rallies in the fourth and fifth innings, while the offense was held scoreless for the last three innings.
"We had some trouble putting the ball on the ground," sophomore Roni Herbst said. "We couldn't put it hard and down, and we kept popping out."
"We didn't come out with a win both games, but it doesn't mean we didn't play well," Gelmetti said. "Wheaton is a really solid team, so to play as well as we did was a really good sign."
While the Wheaton split may not have been what the surging Jumbos were hoping for, the sweep of Trinity was a huge boost for a team looking to regain control of the NESCAC East.
Freshman Stefanie Tong pitched six innings of shutout ball in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, surrendering only four hits and two walks, and lowering her ERA to 2.60, the second-lowest on the team.
Trinity sophomore Gabrielle Sergi took the mound and quieted the Jumbo offense for the first three innings, allowing only one baserunner, but the Jumbos took control of the game with back-to-back doubles from freshman Casey Sullivan and sophomore Maya Ripecky.
Bailey and Tong both chipped in RBI singles of their own, and junior Heather Kleinberger kept things alive with the third Tufts double of the inning, widening the Tufts lead to 3-0.
The Jumbos widened the gap in the sixth when Kleinberger hit her second double of the game, scoring junior Megan Cusick. Tong added to her lead with a two-run double to ice the 8-0 shutout.
In Saturday's first game, Gelmetti no-hit the Bantams through the first three innings, striking out three, but gave up a two-run home run to senior Sara Dougherty in the fourth.
While the Bantams struggled at the plate, the Jumbos once again struck early, as Kleinberger hit a two-run double in the second, her third of the series, to give the Jumbos a 2-0 lead, which they extended in the final two innings to lock up the victory.
Bailey started the first game of the three-game series Friday, striking out eight and allowing only one earned run and five hits.
"I think I pitched well," Bailey said. "Giving up a home run is hard, but I hung some pitches, and when you do that against the best hitters in the league, they're going to do that to you."
Tufts' offense once again took over the job. Tinker hit a two-run home run in the fourth, her third of the season, to give the Jumbos a 2-0 lead. Both teams were relatively quiet until the seventh, when the Jumbos added to their lead with Cusick's solo home run, her first of the season.
With the Jumbos leading 3-1, Bailey came out for the bottom of the seventh to put away the Bantams. But after getting into a little trouble, the hurler was relieved by Tong, who ultimately sealed the deal.
After winning four of five this weekend, the Jumbos have no time to rest. They have three home games early this week - one with Brandeis today and two against Endicott tomorrow - before taking on Colby in a NESCAC East series this coming weekend.
"We definitely hit a semi-rough patch where we just weren't playing up to our potential, but I think we've kind of changed our attitude," Herbst said. "We're definitely trying to get some momentum going into NESCACs - that's what all these games have been leading up to."
"Last year we had problems when we hit crunch time," Gelmetti said. "Hopefully this year we'll come out winning."
Carly Helfand contributed reporting to this article.
