Although the softball team's record was perfect in California, it encountered some hurdles along the way, the first of which occured in the second game of a doubleheader against California Lutheran on March 15. Leading 6-2 going into the final inning, the Jumbos settled for a one-run win after Cal Lutheran's bats heated up in the final stretch. Sophomore pitcher Izzie Santone held off the Regals' charge after taking over in a two-on, no-out situation.
Tufts also had to sweat out a pair of extra-inning wins early in the week. The first came in the opener of the Sun West Tournament against Rio Grande. Trailing 5-2 after three innings, the Jumbos scored two runs in the fourth and then tied it up in the seventh on an RBI double from junior first baseman Christy Tinker to force extra innings. That set up senior quad-captain and left fielder Roni Herbst for some late-game heroics, as she notched an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth.
Tuesday against Greenville, senior right fielder Maya Ripecky tied the game in the sixth with a two-run blast, and Tufts scored three times in the eighth for the win.
The Jumbos outscored their opponents 89-36 during the 12-game stretch.
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