A slew of errors, a thinned pitching rotation and a stymied offensive assault couldn't prevent the softball team from accomplishing one of its preseason goals over the weekend.
The Jumbos went 2-1 in a three-game series with division rival Trinity, which combined with Bates' 2-0 loss at Colby on Friday to earn Tufts its fourth consecutive NESCAC East crown, guaranteeing the defending conference champions a return trip to the NESCAC Tournament.
Tufts wrapped up the division with a 7-1 win in Friday's series opener and a 2-1 victory in the first half of Saturday's doubleheader. But the Jumbos dropped the series finale 5-2 to fall to 8-1 in the NESCAC East and end their bid to finish unbeaten in conference play.
"It was disappointing because we did want to go undefeated in our NESCAC East games," senior co-captain Megan Cusick said. "But fortunately we still clinched the No. 1 seed in the East, so we're definitely in [the NESCAC Tournament], and that was also a goal of ours. In that third game, we didn't play at the level we should've been playing at, but it's something we can get past."
Though Milligan opted to rest junior ace Lauren Gelmetti, who was nursing a sore shoulder after making three appearances in three days last weekend, the pitching staff showcased its depth over the weekend. Sophomore Stefanie Tong and freshman Izzie Santone both turned in dazzling performances for the Jumbos.
Tong took the hill Friday and showed no ill effects from a knee injury that kept her out of practice all week, tossing a complete game to improve to 6-0 on the season. She allowed just four hits - all singles - and retired the last 10 batters she faced.
"We have so much faith in Stef as a pitcher," coach Cheryl Milligan said. "There's just nobody around who has the stuff that she has ... We're extremely pleased with what she's been doing for us these days, and we're just trying to keep her healthy and make sure she's there when we need her in the playoffs."
Tong got plenty of support from junior third baseman Samantha Kuhles, who lifted her batting average above .400 with a 3-for-4 afternoon. Up twice in bases-loaded, two-out situations, Kuhles delivered both times and tied a career high with four RBI.
"She didn't get a whole lot of postseason honors from the conference or from the region last year," Milligan said. "But on our team, Sam was very close to unanimously being voted our MVP ... She's a streaky hitter, but she can hit just about anything that's being pitched to her. We're glad she's on our side."
Tufts received another shutdown pitching performance in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, this time courtesy of Santone. After allowing six runs in a loss to Western Conn. on April 13, the NESCAC Pitcher of the Week rebounded against Trinity, going the distance on a three-hitter while yielding just one unearned run, no walks and a career-high six strikeouts.
"I hit my spots on Saturday ... That wasn't so much the case against Western Conn.," Santone said. "I beaned two batters in an inning against Western Conn. That was the main thing I worked on all week, and it really paid off against Trinity."
Meanwhile, another Connecticut-bred first year, Bantams starter Kristen Anderson, matched Santone with a strong performance of her own, limiting a Tufts offense that racked up 11 hits in Friday's series opener to a season-low three on Saturday.
But with junior center fielder Laura Chapman wreaking havoc on the basepaths, the Jumbos' offense was able to generate all the support Santone would need. In the third, Chapman singlehandedly manufactured Tufts' first run, drawing a leadoff walk, stealing second and third and scoring on an error. Two innings later, she reached base on a bunt single, stole second and came around to score the eventual winning run on another two-out hit by Kuhles.
"As a pitcher, it's definitely a relief to have someone like Chappy," Santone said. "When she gets on the bases, it's almost a guarantee that she'll get to second and third on her own. She definitely did her part to support the team, especially in that game."
With the NESCAC East already wrapped up, the Jumbos fell in the latter half of Saturday's twinbill, breaking a streak of 10 consecutive victories against the Bantams. Tufts cut into an early two-run deficit with a tally in the bottom of the first. But Trinity put the game out of reach in the second, notching three unearned runs off of two Jumbo errors to open a 5-1 lead.
Tufts' defense, which had improved since averaging nearly 2.5 errors per game during a spring break trip to California, looked more like its early-season form, committing five miscues in the game.
"It was not a pretty game to watch," Milligan said. "We know that if we decide to make those kind of stupid moves come playoff time, we're not going to get away with them. We didn't get away with them Saturday, so we're certainly not going to get away with them in a weekend stacked with loaded teams who are playoff ready. We know we have to play better defense, and we're certainly capable of it."
Santone kept the Jumbos in the game, hurling 4.1 innings of shutout ball in relief of classmate Kim Miner. But for the second game in a row, Tufts had trouble generating anything on the offensive end, notching just one extra-base hit.
Two of the team's top three run producers, sophomore shortstop Casey Sullivan and senior co-captain Danielle Lopez, finished hitless in the game and combined to go 0-for-20 in the series.
"Mostly, I think we're just pressing," Milligan said. "This is sort of that midseason slump, and we're fully, fully confident that they'll be back in a week or so. We're just not in our zone offensively right now, but we'll get there."
