The softball team capped off a busy weekend Sunday afternoon with a 9-1 thrashing of Wellesley. The victory was the Jumbos' fourth in a two-day span that also saw Tufts sweep a three-game series from NESCAC East rival Bowdoin.
In what was supposed to be the second of three games on Sunday for Tufts, the nationally-ranked No. 23 Jumbos traveled to Wellesley to face off against the No. 13 Blue in a crucial regional matchup. For much of the game Tufts could not seem to solve Wellesley or its starting pitcher, junior Beej Grundlock, picking up only one hit through the opening six innings. But junior pitcher Lauren Gelmetti kept the Jumbos in the game, surrendering just four hits herself.
The Blue looked like they might break things open in the sixth when a walk, an error and a hit gave them the bases loaded with no outs. But Gelmetti was able to set the next three down in order to preserve a scoreless tie.
"I felt fine," Gelmetti said. "I hit my corners, and in the sixth inning we hit a little rough patch, and I loaded the bases. But then we got them out one-two-three, and that was big. They had another scoring threat earlier but our defense played great."
In the final inning, however, Tufts was finally able to solve the previously undefeated Grundlock. Sophomore first baseman Christy Tinker drew a walk, and junior pinch runner Alison Drobiarz made it to third on a double from senior co-captain Meghan Cusick. Junior Laura Chapman reached base on a fielder's choice to force in the game's first run before junior right fielder Maya Ripecky opened the game wide open with a three run blast to left field.
"I think that we are a very good hitting team," junior Cara Hovhanessian said. "In our lineup, one through nine we have very good hitters so normally you aren't going to be able to see a pitcher get through the entire game without us getting to her eventually. So when we started to go through the lineup the third time we were able to look for good pitches, and when we did, we hit them hard."
Grundlock was taken out of the game after being tagged for four runs, but by then, the Jumbos could not be stopped. Tufts would send 14 runners to the plate in the inning and tack on five more runs to make the score 9-0.
Sophomore shortstop Casey Sullivan added a two-run single and Cusick hit a two-run double in her second at bat of the inning. The sudden offensive burst was more than enough for Gelmetti to seal the game in the bottom of the seventh, although she did give up a run on a sacrifice fly.
"After they loaded the bases and had the momentum in their favor it makes people nervous," Gelmetti said. "By that point it was starting to rain a lot and the ball was slipping. The momentum shifted in our favor when we got them out and we were able to come out and score the runs we needed to get the win."
With the second game of the doubleheader postponed due to rain, the Jumbos were left to relish their six-game winning streak, which included a victory earlier that morning against Bowdoin. That win came in the finale of a three-game set that swept a weekend series against the division rival Polar Bears.
Tufts found itself trailing early 1-0, but the Polar Bears held the edge only briefly. Although Bowdoin fielded junior Karen Reni, who came into the game with a 7-1 record and 1.58 ERA, on the mound, Tufts managed to rattle her early in the contest.
Junior third baseman Samantha Kuhles led off the bottom of the first with a double and was followed by a single from Sullivan. Tinker then provided the theatrics for the Jumbos, smashing her third home run in four games to give Tufts the 3-1 lead.
The Jumbos added another run in the fifth as Kuhles hit her second double of the game and scored on an RBI single from senior co-captain Danielle Lopez.
The run would prove crucial when Tufts starting pitcher Stefanie Tong ran into some trouble in the final inning. The sophomore had gotten out of jams with multiple runners on base in both the third and fifth innings but could not escape the seventh unscathed. The Polar Bears scored twice to make it a 4-3 game, but freshman Izzie Santone came in to save the game for the Jumbos and end the Bowdoin rally.
"We got a lot of very good pitching," Hovhanessian said. "The pitchers were hitting their spots very well which was something they have been working hard at in practice and keeping the ball low so they can keep the other hitters off balance. And our defense has been focusing a lot on making the plays they know how to make - not letting anything under their glove and making good throws. We have been working really hard at that in practice and I think it is finally paying off."
Tufts also notched two more wins in a doubleheader on Saturday against the Polar Bears. The two victories, coupled with the win Sunday, gave the Jumbos a strong 3-0 start to their NESCAC East schedule.
"Honestly, I think although our California [spring break] schedule tends to be heavy and intense, it is one of the best things that gets us going back East because when we go to California we play 12 games in six days with one day in between," Gelmetti said. "So when we play on a Saturday and Sunday, which most other teams don't do, I feel like we are well prepared for that."
In the first game, Tufts successfully came back from a 3-0 deficit thanks to a five-run fourth inning. Sullivan led off with a home run and Tinker also added a solo shot. But it was Hovhanessian who gave the Jumbos a lead with a two-run double. That was more than enough for Tong, the NESCAC Pitcher of the Year, who had come on in the third and allowed just three hits over five to get the victory.
The second game saw Santone earn a shutout after allowing just six hits for a 3-0 win. Hovhanessian and Santone paced the offense for the Jumbos, going a combined 4-for-5 with two RBI.
Despite a busy weekend of winning, there will be little rest for the weary with a non-conference double header against Babson today before three games with Colby and two games at Western Connecticut over the weekend.
