A young softball squad was tested for the first time in conference play this weekend, hosting the Bowdoin Polar Bears in a three-game series. After a 5-4 loss on Friday, the Jumbos rebounded quickly, and on the back of dominant freshman pitching, swept the Saturday doubleheader.
"We were definitely frustrated after that first game," said junior catcher Julia Silberman, who had four RBIs on the weekend. "We hadn't played up to our potential and had given away too many outs. We knew that since it was our mistakes that had led to a defeat, if we could play a little tighter and more cohesively, we could come back the next day. There is nothing better than being able to come back the next day and prove yourselves, and I think that's what we did."
After splitting the first two games of the series, Bowdoin handed the ball to its freshman ace Tricia Thibodeau, while Tufts countered with a freshman hurler of its own in Aly Moskowitz. Moskowitz, now 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA, was making the first start at Spicer Field of her Tufts career.
"It felt great to finally pitch at home," Moskowitz said. "We work so hard in the preseason, it is great to get out on the field and show what we can do."
The Polar Bears drew first blood in Saturday's second game, using small ball to turn a first-inning leadoff single by junior Kara Nilan into a run. Nilan stole second, advanced to third on a ground ball and scored on a sacrifice fly. Bowdoin kept the momentum into the top of the second, and Moskowitz found herself in a jam after allowing the first three batters of the inning to reach base. But after Tufts co-captain Casey Sullivan nailed senior Lauren Coven at the plate, Moskowitz settled down, inducing a strikeout and a groundout to get out of the frame.
Meanwhile, Thibodeau, who had retired the first four batters she faced, hit a rough patch in the second. Freshman second baseman Emily Beinecke found a way to get on base with an infield single to the left side. This brought Silberman to the plate, and with one swing of the bat, she tied the game at two. Silberman sent a screaming line drive just over the centerfield fence, good enough for her third long ball of the season.
"It was still early in the game when I had this at-bat, so although it ended up being a close game, at this point my teammates and I were confident we could come back," Silberman said. "So I was just looking for a way to get myself on base to help start a rally. I was looking for a pitch low and inside and when I got one was able to hit it hard."
"Julia's home run was absolutely a game changer," Moskowitz added. "Tying up the game like that gave us the mental boost we needed to fight for the win, and it definitely helped me settle down on the mound, knowing that we were right back in that game."
Both pitchers settled in after the home run, exchanging scoreless frames until the bottom of the fifth, when Tufts sophomore outfielder Lizzie Iuppa manufactured a run singlehandedly. She worked a one-out walk, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a sacrifice fly by fellow sophomore Lena Cantone.
The Jumbos' staff made Iuppa's run stand as the game winner. Moskowitz stranded a runner at second in the top of the sixth before coming out for junior Izzie Santone in the seventh.
"Aly did a fantastic job in a tight game today," Silberman said. "It was a very important win for us, and that put a lot of pressure on a freshman pitcher. I thought she improved as the game went on, which really says a lot about her ability to step up in big games. As the game continued to be tight inning after inning, she made it increasingly difficult for the other team giving us a chance to score."
Santone gave up a one-out double before retiring the final two batters, earning herself the save and the Jumbos the series with a 3-2 victory.
While Moskowitz's performance was impressive, fellow freshman Rebecca DiBiase may have been even better in the first game Saturday. DiBiase surrendered only one run, striking out four while only allowing one extra base hit all game.
"Rebecca has been throwing extremely well so far," Silberman said. "I think what's so impressive about her is not only her skill, but the fact that nothing rattles her when she's pitching. Being mentally tough is very important as a pitcher, and she really allows the rest of the team to feed off her poise and intensity. I think this is especially important after a tough loss, and she really handled the situation well."
While Dibiase quieted the Bowdoin offense, the Jumbos' offense jumped out on Nilan early and often. In the second, Beinecke crossed the plate on a throwing error before freshman outfielder Liz Pinzino sent a towering home run down the left field line, the first of her collegiate career. Iuppa also scored twice, driven in by Sullivan both in the third and the fifth. The Jumbos added one more in the fifth, and took the game by a comfortable score of 5-1.
The Friday afternoon game was a rough way to start the conference slate for the Jumbos. Entering the game, they had not lost at home since 2008 and had not lost to the Polar Bears since 2004. Tufts jumped out first on a solo home run by senior outfielder Stefanie Tong in the bottom of the second. The teams went back and forth, and eventually a two-RBI single by Silberman in the bottom of the sixth gave the Jumbos a 4-3 lead.
Santone stayed on for the Jumbos in the seventh, looking to get the complete game, but she could not shut the door. Bowdoin put the first two batters of the inning on base after an error and a hit-by-pitch and, after a groundout moved both over, freshman outfielder Gen Barlow tied the game with a base hit to left. Santone got the second out, but a passed ball gave the Polar Bears the 5-4 lead on an unearned run.
Tufts put the tying run on second base and the winning run on first in the bottom of the seventh, but a groundout ended the game, giving the Polar Bears the win.
The Jumbos will not have much time to regroup from the opening series, as they will travel to Springfield on Monday for a doubleheader. They will follow it up with a home doubleheader on Thursday against Bridgewater State, a make-up from last week.
