During a beautiful weekend in Hartford, Conn., the weather wasn't the only thing perfect at Campus Field, as the No. 8 Jumbos improved their unblemished record to 21-0 on the season and 6-0 in the NESCAC with a three-game sweep of host Trinity, remaining the only undefeated team in the nation.
In the lone game on Sunday afternoon, Tufts sophomore ace Izzie Santone garnered her NESCAC-leading 10th victory of the season, leading the Jumbos to a 7-4 win in NESCAC East action.
Tufts jumped out on its opponent early, surging to a 3-1 lead after the first frame and increasing the margin to 7-2 after a three-run fifth inning. Freshman Lena Cantone hit a two-run double, driving in seniors Danielle Lopez and Maya Ripecky, followed immediately by another RBI double, this time by junior Casey Sullivan.
Santone, however, ceded a two-run rally in the sixth to Trinity, in which three straight singles loaded the bases before sophomore Nicole Nardella scored sophomore Katherine Stoltenberg and junior Erika Klotz with a two-run single. Yet Santone remained composed on the mound, escaping the inning with minimal damage before working a no-hit seventh to secure the win.
On the offensive end, Cantone had two RBIs and a pair of hits, while senior quad-captain Laura Chapman scored two runs and swiped as many bags.
"I think we weren't hitting the ball into the ground as much as we wanted to, especially because they have a lot of drop-ball pitchers who are slower, but we ended up popping it up," senior quad-captain Cara Hovhanessian said. "I think that we still did a pretty good job of having runs in scoring position, of getting the clutch hits and taking advantage of every opportunity Trinity gave us."
The weekend series was pushed back due to rain, but the delayed matchup did not faze the Jumbos on Saturday, as they took both ends of the doubleheader against the Bantams, tying the program record for consecutive victories with 20 before locking up win number 21 on Sunday.
"Breaking the record might have been at the back of everyone's mind, but I don't think we went out this weekend focused on doing it," Ripecky said. "It was exciting to break the record, but we're still trying to be humble."
Jumbo senior starter Lauren Gelmetti nearly earned a no-hitter in the back end of the doubleheader, instead settling for a one-hit gem in Tufts' 8-0 win. The senior, who upped her record to a perfect 9-0, surrendered just three walks over the first 6.2 innings before allowing a two-out double to Trinity junior Patricia Cipicchio. Gelmetti recovered from the lone blip on her day by striking out Klotz to end the contest.
"Lauren had a great day on Saturday and pitched great today in the last inning," Ripecky said. "It was really nice to see, and as a defensive player, it's really great to play behind that. It really fires the defense up."
Cantone and Lopez each had three hits in the nightcap, while Ripecky, who pounded out two doubles, and Hovhanessian had two hits apiece.
In the first Saturday contest, senior Samantha Kuhles broke up a 4-3 Trinity lead with an RBI single in the fourth frame, while Hovhanessian followed suit two batters later, driving home Kuhles to give Tufts the lead for good. The Jumbos then cruised to an 8-4 victory through the final three innings.
"It was really important that we came back and scored right away," Hovhanessian said. "Teams, when they get ahead of us, get a lot of energy, and they kind of see a glimmer of hope, but I think it's important that we can come back no matter what and score. It also helps our pitchers because they know that the offense is going is to pick them up."
"There was no doubt in our minds that we weren't going to win that game," Ripecky added. "We got up and down and then up and down again, but we ended up on top. It wasn't as though we were panicking that we were losing, but it was like 'Oh my God, we're not winning yet.' Some might call it cocky, but I think that it's a good confidence to have. When we give up a few runs, we know that we're going to come back."
The Jumbos took full advantage of four Bantams errors in the first game, pounding out 12 hits in the contest. Chapman led the assault, going a perfect 3-for-3, while Lopez drove in a pair of runs and Kuhles and Hovhanessian each tacked on two hits.
The three wins cap off a banner week for Tufts, one in which it posted nine wins in as many days -- six of which came against NESCAC rivals. A large portion of the Jumbos' success can be dedicated to an experienced core of upperclassmen, whose legacy at Tufts is taking shape.
Kuhles was the latest Jumbo to shatter a program record, breaking the career hits mark on Thursday at Bridgewater State College. Her three-run home run in the fourth inning broke the previous mark of 175, which was held for 12 seasons by Kara Murphy (LA '97).
Kuhles, who has hit just two four-baggers in her career, pushed her hit total to 179 with three against Trinity this weekend. She joined classmate Danielle Lopez, who broke the career RBI and doubles mark on March 19 against Hamilton, as Jumbos to have entered the record books this season.
Against Bridgewater, Kuhles led the attack with two hits and four RBIs, as Tufts rolled to a 14-0, five-inning non-conference win on the road. Sullivan went a perfect three-for-three, scoring and driving in three runs as well. Lopez and Chapman each had two hits and two RBIs to round out the offensive attack. In the circle, Gelmetti went all five innings, striking out four batters and scattering two hits.
Home games against Wheaton and Western Connecticut that were supposed to be played on Sunday were cancelled in favor of the Trinity contest. Tufts will now take a much-needed extended break during the week before returning to NESCAC action on Friday with a weekend series at home against Colby.
In spite of the perfect record, the Jumbos still feel like there is room for improvement, and the four-day respite provides ample opportunity to tweak things before further conference play.
"We have this whole week to work on stuff that needs to be improved," Ripecky said. "I think we have some stuff to work on at the plate because we definitely weren't perfect in that area. It's a good time to have a mental break and get our heads back on."
"We're not invincible, and I think the fact that we know that makes us work harder because there is always something to work toward," Hovhanessian added. "No one is going to take a day off because we don't want this season to end. There is no selfishness on this team. You push the person behind you or in front of you because the team needs all 17 people on the roster to play well."
