Entering the second half of yesterday's doubleheader against non-conference foe Endicott, the softball team's potent offense had tallied just 12 hits in its last three games. Needless to say, the slump is over.
The Jumbos busted out for eight runs on a season-high 19 hits to salvage a split of the twinbill against the Gulls, taking the second game 8-3.
The victory followed a 2-1 loss in the opener of the doubleheader, a game in which Tufts was held to fewer than five hits for the second time in its last three games.
In all, six Jumbos had multi-hit games in the win. Junior center fielder Laura Chapman, senior co-captain Megan Cusick, junior left fielder Roni Herbst and junior third baseman Samantha Kuhles all led the way with three hits apiece.
Coming into the game hitless in her last 13 at-bats, senior co-captain Danielle Lopez, the team's leader in RBI, broke out of her mini-slump, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
The beneficiary of the run support was sophomore pitcher Stefanie Tong, who improved to 7-0 after allowing three runs in 5.1 innings. Freshman Izzie Santone, who was named the NESCAC Pitcher of the Week yesterday, continued her shutdown weekend by tossing 1.2 innings of scoreless relief for her second career save.
Including two appearances against Trinity on Saturday, Santone has allowed just one unearned run and seven hits in her last three outings.
The Jumbos dropped the first game of the doubleheader earlier in the afternoon, falling on the short end of a pitchers' duel between Tufts junior Lauren Gelmetti and Endicott senior Jenn Elwell. Although limited by a sore shoulder earlier in the weekend, Gelmetti returned to strong results, hurling a complete game two-hitter.
Unfortunately for the Jumbos, Elwell was just as good, holding the Jumbos to only four singles. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Endicott made Elwell's effort stand up, tallying a go-ahead run off Gelmetti for the final 2-1 margin.
With her younger sister Hayley watching from the Gulls' bench, junior designated hitter Cara Hovhanessian extended her hitting streak to five games with one hit in each half of the doubleheader.
