JENNA ABELLI, Women's LACROSSE
With the prospect of defeating perennial rival Williams for the first time since 1995 looming on Saturday, senior co-captain Jenna Abelli scored six goals and added one assist to help the Jumbos cruise to a 17-7 victory on the road, their first win versus the Ephs in 17 tries dating back 15 years.
Thirteenth-ranked Tufts improved to 3-2 on the season with the win, which saw Abelli score four of her goals on free position shots, including two to open up the second half, which turned a four-goal game into a near-blowout. She also scored a pair toward the end of the first half, giving Tufts an eight-goal lead before Williams went on a four-goal run to close out the half.
Last spring, when the Jumbos went 16-3 and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, two of those three losses came to Williams. This year, thanks to Abelli, Tufts is off to a fast start. Abelli's six-goal outburst gave the Jumbos their largest margin of victory over the Ephs since they won by 13 in 1986.
On the year, Abelli is second on the team with 16 goals and 21 points.
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DAVE LERESCHE & SAM SAGER, BASEBALL
Off to its best start since 2000 with an 8-2 record on its spring trip, the baseball team can largely thank junior tri-captain Dave LeResche and sophomore Sam Sager for its fast start. The left side of the infield has combined for 35 total hits on the spring trip, which catalyzed a rejuvenated offensive attack that posted 17 hits in a game on three separate occasions.
The Jumbos scored double-digit runs four times on the trip, most recently in a 10-0 blasting of Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday. LeResche, a shortstop, is hitting a .404 clip with 16 runs scored, which ranks him first on the team. Sager, additionally, is hitting a shade below .400 and has a team-leading 12 RBI.
Both LeResche and Sager are continuing the strong offensive effort they showed last season. LeResche led the team with a .376 average and a .541 slugging percentage, which included 12 doubles and two home runs, while Sager, in his first year, was third with a .333 average.
