Softball | Jumbos finish perfect in NESCAC

    Early in the fall, the softball team established a list of goals designed to keep it motivated throughout preseason training and to stay continually focused during the season itself. After this weekend's sweep of conference rival Bowdoin, Tufts can cross off its first goal: an undefeated regular season in the NESCAC.
    The Jumbos steamrolled through Brunswick, Maine, this weekend, ceding only four runs in three contests to the Polar Bears while bombarding Bowdoin pitching for 20 runs. Tufts improved to 32-0 on the year and a perfect 12-0 in the NESCAC to remain the only unblemished squad left in Div. III softball.
    After being held hitless for her first eight at-bats of the series, junior shortstop Casey Sullivan exploded in Saturday's nightcap, tallying five hits from the leadoff spot in addition to two solo home runs. A testament to the team's confidence in its hitters, coach Cheryl Milligan left Sullivan in the top spot in the order against the same pitcher that the Jumbos faced on Friday, and it paid off in spades. Sullivan, in addition to her two solo blasts, tallied a double, a bunt single and two runs, showcasing her versatility.
    "Casey just dominated that game," senior quad-captain Cara Hovhanessian said. "It's really a reflection of our confidence. Casey knows she's one of the best hitters in the NESCAC and possibly in the region, so everyone knew she was going to get it done. We have a lot of great hitters on this team, and no one ever doubts themselves or each other. Confidence is huge for us."
    That confidence in their own abilities transferred over to the Jumbos' pitching staff as well, as junior Stefanie Tong took the circle in the latter game on Saturday. Tong, who came into the contest having logged just 22 innings, scattered seven hits and two earned runs over five and a third innings of work. The knuckleballer also struck out six Polar Bear batters, far surpassing the .57 strikeouts per inning that the Tufts staff has posted thus far. Senior Lauren Gelmetti worked 1.2 innings for the save, allowing one hit.
    "It was awesome to use all three pitchers this weekend and to have all of them pitch well," Hovhanessian said. "I think Tong showed what she can do, and that's great. Obviously the more pitchers we have, the better, but the important thing is that they're all different. All of a sudden, here comes Tong with the knuckleball, and it's going to throw the other hitters off."
    Freshman Lena Cantone remained hot, recording hits in all three at-bats and driving in two runs in game two on Saturday. Junior Christy Tinker, additionally, had two hits and one RBI. All told, Tufts had 14 hits in the 6-3 victory, with production coming from both veterans and underclassmen up and down the lineup.
    "It takes veteran players who know our capabilities and a lot of motivation to do what we've been doing," senior quad-captain Roni Herbst said. "But also, we have really great young players on our team and they bring a lot to the team in terms of both personality and talent. I don't look at them as underclassmen so much as I look at them as teammates. They've been doing so well for us. They fit right into the program."
    The Jumbos recorded their only mercy-rule win of the weekend in the first contest on Saturday, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth to win 9-1. Sophomore ace Izzie Santone remained solid in the circle, giving up five hits in as many innings and one unearned run.
    On the offensive end, Tufts capitalized on five Bowdoin errors, tallying 11 hits in the shortened contest. Senior quad-captain Laura Chapman, classmate Maya Ripecky and Hovhanessian each had a pair of hits, while Hovhanessian and Tinker each drove in two runs.
    In the lone game on Friday, Bowdoin junior Julia Jacobs did a relatively effective job of shutting down the Jumbos' bats, giving up only four earned runs in seven innings of work. But as good as Jacobs was, Gelmetti was that much better, as the Tufts senior let up just two hits over a complete-game shutout, striking out seven in the 5-0 victory.
    The Jumbos struck early in the second frame when Hovhanessian scored on a Cantone single. But Tufts hit gold one inning later, as senior Danielle Lopez homered down the left field line, scoring Chapman in the process. The Jumbos tacked on two insurance runs in the seventh frame when Tinker and Ripecky slugged back-to-back RBI doubles.
    With the weekend sweep, Tufts rounded out its perfect NESCAC campaign and now turns its attention to doubleheaders against Endicott and Brandeis before the start of the conference tournament, which the Jumbos will host on Spicer Field beginning May 1. Still, with a perfect record on the line, Tufts insists that it will not be looking past its non-conference opponents in spite of the thrill of going undefeated during the regular season.
    "It's nice that we got it done, but our bigger goals are ahead of us," Herbst said. "It's a relief to have accomplished that first one, but that in itself is a team goal, and it doesn't necessarily affect the postseason and the rest of the things that we want to accomplish. We've gotten a little bit ahead of ourselves in the past, so we're trying to bring our focus to that certain out, that inning or that game before we get ahead of ourselves to the bigger picture of what we want to do.
    "We've tried to focus on this idea of ‘right now' so far this season," Herbst continued. "Until we finish the games against Endicott and Brandeis, you can't overlook four important games and not focus on them. Our team can't afford to do that."