With the NESCAC East regular-season title — and with it the right to host the conference championships — still very much up for grabs, Tufts could not afford to give up ground on its trip to Bowdoin this weekend. The Jumbos had reason to be confident, given that they had never dropped a series to the Polar Bears in the 10-year history of the NESCAC.
But after a pair of gems tossed by freshman Melissa DellaTorre, Tufts came away with just one win out of three and sent the division into chaos in the process. With the losing series, the Jumbos fell to 14-14 overall, but more importantly, 4-2 in the NESCAC. Bowdoin, meanwhile, improved to 17-14 on the season, with 6-3 mark against NESCAC opponents. The two squads will likely be in a three-horse race with Trinity for the NESCAC East title and the division's two playoff spots.
Both Tufts losses this weekend came by just one run, to a Bowdoin team that entered the game riding a nine-game winning streak while boasting a perfect 5-0 record at home. The Jumbos dropped the series opener 5-4 and the finale 2-1.
In the rubber match and second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, DellaTorre earned her second win in as many days, out-dueling the combination of Tufts freshman Lauren Giglio, who worked two innings, and sophomore Rebecca DiBiase, who tossed four.
DellaTorre came out even stronger than she looked a day earlier, striking out eight batters and allowing only one run in seven innings of work. The Jumbos were held to little more than a murmur in the early innings, until putting runners on second and third in the bottom of the fourth with just one out. But DellaTorre had the answer, posting back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam.
Tufts' lone run in the finale came on a single by freshman Sara Hedtler in the sixth inning, but the Jumbos did manage to put the tying run on second base in the seventh with freshman catcher Jo Clair, the team's leader in RBIs, at the plate. Once again facing adversity, DellaTorre had just enough in the tank for one final strikeout, ensuring that her squad's two second-inning runs were enough.
Earlier in the day, the Jumbos proved they were not deflated from a tough loss on Friday, pounding out 13 hits en route to an 8-2 rout.
DiBiase followed up a disappointing performance Friday with a dominant showcase on Saturday, allowing one earned run in six innings of work. But Tufts' offensive output was the story of game one of the doubleheader, as the Jumbos tallied three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Junior shortstop Mira-Lieman Sifry was 4-for-4 and came around to score twice, while sophomore second baseman Emily Beinecke went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Beinecke finished the day 6-for-7.
"When your offense is giving you so much support, the game is much easier," DiBiase said. "I could just relax and focus on making my pitches."
In Friday's opener, the Jumbos looked poised to send a message to their division rivals, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on a homer by Clair in the first inning that tied the Jumbos' single-season home run record.
But the Polar Bears responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Meanwhile, DellaTorre settled down after a rocky start, allowing only two runs in her final six innings of work.
The Jumbos trimmed the deficit to one run on two separate occasions but never could get over the hump. After junior centerfielder Lizzy Iuppa singled to left field in the sixth inning to cut the Polar Bears lead to 5-4, DellaTorre escaped with two consecutive outs, stranding two Jumbos on base while securing the lead heading into the final inning. In that final frame, DellaTorre allowed only a bunt single in order to seal the victory.
DiBiase, who allowed five runs on eight hits in six innings of work, took the loss for the Jumbos, while DellaTorre notched the victory with a complete game performance in which she allowed only three earned runs and struck out four batters.
While Tufts has underperformed at times thus far this season, the Jumbos have a great opportunity to finish the year strong. More than half of their remaining games are against division opponents, including a season-ending series at Trinity that will likely determine the playoff picture.
The team knows that if they can hit their stride now, they are definitely capable of ending the season on a high note.
"We've had our ups and downs this season, but all that is behind us now," senior pitcher Izzie Santone said. "All we can do is move forward and try to win as many games as possible from here to the end."
