Having started the month with three-straight losses, the beginning of April was pretty dreary for the softball team. But the Jumbos have turned things around and are currently riding a four-game winning streak, highlighted by a three-game sweep of NESCAC East rival Bowdoin this weekend, in which Tufts outscored its opponent 24-2.
Tufts' offense keyed two mercy-rule wins on Saturday as the team swept a doubleheader, 8-0, 12-2, after winning Friday night's contest 4-0.
Senior tri-captain Lauren Ebstein pitched a complete game in game two, surrendering six hits, two unearned runs and no walks in the five-inning game.
Meanwhile, the Jumbo offense was clicking early. Sophomore third baseman Samantha Kuhles led off the first inning with a bunt single and subsequently scored on freshman second baseman Jenna Robey's fourth double of the season.
The Jumbos were off to the races, following that up with a seven-hit, six-run second inning. The big blows came from freshmen Christy Tinker and shortstop Casey Sullivan, who smashed a three-run homer, her fourth of the season.
Sullivan tacked on two more runs with a two-out triple in the fourth, driving in sophomore Laura Chapman and senior Sarah Taylor. The Jumbos had only one hit in the fifth, but the game quickly ended 12-2.
"I think she's made a great contribution," Kuhles said of Sullivan. "Her bat has been very solid and she's a consistent hitter. She's a great all-around player."
Freshman pitcher Stefanie Tong started the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, holding the Polar Bears hitless until the third inning, when she surrendered a two-out single to Polar Bears' senior co-captain Jayme Woogerd. But Tong yielded just one more hit, going the distance and striking out three.
Polar Bears' freshman Julia Jacobs also pitched successfully, holding the Jumbos to two hits in the first four innings. The Jumbos ended the pitchers' duel, however, exploding for an eight-run fifth inning. Sophomore shortstop Cara Hovhanessian led off the offensive outburst with a single - one of seven hits the Jumbos accumulated in the frame. Kuhles, Chapman, Tinker, Sullivan and sophomore left fielder Roni Herbst all had at least one RBI in the inning.
Back on the mound with an eight-run lead, Tong gave up a two-out double to freshman second baseman Lauren Coven, but quickly ended the fifth inning with an innocuous pop-up, sealing the 8-0 victory.
The first game of the series was the closest of the three. The Jumbos sent sophomore Lauren Gelmetti to the mound to face off against sophomore Karen Reni. Both pitchers pitched successfully, but it was the Jumbo defense that was the difference-maker.
"It was the toughest defense we've played all year," Gelmetti said. "I got into a bit of a jam, but we all got out of it together."
After Tinker's fourth-inning sacrifice fly gave the Jumbos a 1-0 lead, Gelmetti tossed a one-two-three inning, striking out two. Tufts added three more insurance runs in the seventh with a two-run pinch-hit home run by Robey - all the offense Gelmetti needed to seal the victory.
Earlier in the month the Jumbos looked like they were headed down a slippery slope, losing six out of eight. Now, having won six of the last seven, it looks as if the troubled waters are behind them.
"There's a lot of great talent on this team," Kuhles said. "We just need to click as a team overall and start playing together as a unit."
"We were having some problems," Gelmetti said. "But we're getting ourselves back together. I'm excited for the rest of the season and to go as far as we're capable of going."
The Jumbos were supposed to play two non-conference games on Sunday against Wheaton and Western Conn., respectively, but both were postponed due to the weather. They will be rescheduled for April 22.
