For the first time since it returned from spring break, the softball team could not keep up with its grueling schedule.
Playing their fifth game of the weekend and 13th in 11 days, the nationally ranked No. 17 Jumbos finally ran out of gas Sunday, falling in a 9-1 upset to non-conference foe Western Conn. The setback was a sour ending to an otherwise successful weekend in which Tufts (19-6, 6-0 NESCAC East) swept a critical three-game series at division rival Colby and edged Wheaton 4-2 on Sunday afternoon.
The Jumbos took a 12-game winning streak - their longest since a 16-game run in 2002 - into the back end of a doubleheader in Danbury, Conn. and a matchup against host Western Conn. With the score knotted at one heading into the home half of the fourth inning, the Colonials exploded for eight unanswered runs over the final three frames to seal the win.
Tufts reached base in every inning but couldn't capitalize, leaving nine runners on base en route to its lowest run output of the season. Fatigue may have played a role in slowing the Jumbos' prolific offense, which entered the contest averaging nearly 7.5 runs per game.
"One of the things we take seriously is how much quality we can put into an at-bat as opposed to the outcome of the at-bat; we saw that quality starting to slide Friday afternoon, and by Sunday, it caught up with us," coach Cheryl Milligan said. "That's what happens when you have a long stretch with lots of games without a lot of practice. Our bats got tired, and we ended up getting a little bit away from our technique."
On the pitching side, freshman Izzie Santone and junior Lauren Gelmetti combined to surrender eight earned runs, with Santone taking the loss. The performances represented an unusual off-day for the Jumbos' pitching staff, which had yielded a combined nine earned runs in its previous eight games.
"It just wasn't our strongest pitching day," Gelmetti said. "Izzie wasn't pitching poorly; she was doing a good job hitting her spots, but they just got a few hits off of her, and you can't really do anything about it when that happens. And then I didn't do the job that I could have in relief. It's just something that we'll continue to work at."
The first half of Sunday's doubleheader saw Tufts take down regional foe Wheaton thanks to a complete-game effort from Gelmetti, who earned her team-leading eighth win. The 2007 First Team All-NESCAC selection surrendered 10 hits over seven innings, but limited the Lyons to 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position to keep the damage to a minimum.
"She's extremely composed, so she doesn't get rattled when she's in a situation with runners on," junior designated hitter Cara Hovhanessian said. "She trusts her pitches completely, no matter what the situation, and she sticks to her game plan. The Wheaton game was a great testament to that because it wasn't her sharpest performance, but she got it done when she needed to."
Easily the most positive development of the weekend came Friday and Saturday, when the Jumbos improved to 6-0 in the NESCAC East with a three-game sweep of conference foe Colby in Waterville, Maine. The Jumbos outscored the Mules 25-2 and out-hit them 30-10 on their way to their second-straight NESCAC East weekend sweep.
"It's always one of our goals to be undefeated in the NESCAC," Milligan said. "Now we're halfway there. It's a huge goal on our list, and it's one that's evaded us for the past few years ... This year's team can put itself above that. NESCAC East games are obviously what it's all about, so if we were going to lose one game this weekend, Western Conn. was probably the best one to lose."
The top four hitters in the Jumbos' lineup - junior third baseman Samantha Kuhles, sophomore shortstop Casey Sullivan, senior co-captain Danielle Lopez and sophomore first baseman Christy Tinker - did the bulk of the damage Friday afternoon, when Tufts took both ends of a series-opening doubleheader by scores of 7-1 and 11-0. The quartet combined for 14 hits, 14 runs scored and 10 RBI to back shut-down pitching efforts from Gelmetti, Santone, senior Heather Kleinberger and sophomore Erin Gallagher.
Saturday's tilt featured a pitchers' duel between Tufts freshman Kim Miner and Colby sophomore Brittany Tasi. But the Jumbos broke the game open in the seventh inning, turning a tenuous 1-0 lead into a comfortable 7-0 romp. Miner retired the Mules in the bottom of the frame to pick up her second career win.
The victories put the Jumbos in a position to clinch the NESCAC East title this weekend, when they will host a three-game series against Trinity in a rematch of last season's conference championship game. Not only will Tufts be seeking a playoff berth, but it will also look to shake the taste of its performance against Western Conn.
"I think that any loss is disappointing when you expect yourselves to win every game like we do," Hovhanessian said. "We always expect to be the better team. But you can only dwell on it for so long. You have to just take what you can from it, see what you can do better and just keep it in the back of our mind when you're working hard in practice. But it's over, so we have to use it as motivation to work harder and get better for Trinity."
