Though the softball team earned the right to host the NESCAC Tournament on Spicer Field as the NESCAC East top seed, it fell short of its goal of advancing to the NCAA Tournament after losing 7-4 to Middlebury in last Sunday's conference final. After defeating Trinity in a thrilling elimination game early Sunday afternoon, Tufts was unable to best NESCAC West top seed Middlebury and subsequently did not receive an at-large berth to the national tournament.
The Jumbos rode a wave of momentum into Sunday's championship matchup against the West's top-seeded Panthers and pieced together four runs in the top half of the first inning on just one hit. Rising senior centerfielder Lizzy Iuppa jump-started the rally with a leadoff walk and rising sophomore left fielder Sara Hedtler capped the frame with a two-out, two-run single to give Tufts a 4-0 edge. Unfortunately for the Jumbos, the offensive outburst and lead were both short-lived.
Middlebury responded almost immediately, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the frame to cut the deficit in half. The Panthers' bats came out strong in the second frame as well, tacking on three more runs to reclaim the lead from the Jumbos, 5-4. The inning was highlighted by a two-out, two-run single off the bat of graduating senior Megan Margel, who earned NESCAC Player of the Week for her performance.
After starting the game off strong, the Jumbos failed to push another run across the plate in the last six innings of the seven-inning contest. The Panthers, meanwhile, added a pair of insurance runs in the fourth inning off a two run homer by rising junior Jessa Hoffman to produce the game's 7-4 final.
Tufts graduating senior co-captain Izzie Santone was not in top form on Sunday. After being handed an early 4-0 advantage, Santone allowed five runs, four of which were earned in just 1 2/3 innings of work. Rising sophomore Lauren Giglio was strong in relief, however, surrendering just two runs in 4 1/3 frames.
"I definitely was unhappy with the way I pitched out there," Santone said. "They were all over me today, but give them credit: They're a good team with good hitters who will make you pay if you make a mistake."
With the victory, Middlebury improved to 29-6 overall and, more importantly, secured the conference's automatic NCAA berth. With a 23-18 overall record, Tufts was not chosen for the national tournament as an at-large team.
"It's bittersweet right now," Santone said. "We accomplished a lot this year: we earned the right to host the NESCACs, we played into the championship game and we just came up a little bit short. Sometimes that just happens."
It was the second win for the Panthers over the Jumbos, coming less than five hours after they handed Tufts its first loss of the weekend in a game which due to rain spanned two days. Graduating senior Ali McAnaney got the start for Middlebury while it was Santone on the mound for Tufts. The Panthers got on the board in the first and McAnaney held onto the small advantage, scattering five hits in four innings before heavy rains delayed the game to the following day.
Play resumed early Sunday, and graduating senior Nellie Wood, hitting in the nine-spot for Middlebury, opened with a bang, driving the third pitch of the morning far over the centerfield wall. Graduating senior Geena Constantin took over in the circle for the Panthers and was unhittable for three innings, striking out four while allowing no hits and securing her team the victory.
With the Panthers awaiting the victor, the Jumbos and Bantams took to Spicer Field early Sunday afternoon for the loser's bracket final. The contest was a low-scoring affair. Trinity starter, graduating senior Kristen Anderson, was perfect through three innings while Tufts starter, rising junior Rebecca DiBiase, was also strong.
Tufts rising senior co-captain Lena Cantone broke the ice in the fourth frame, connecting on a one-out double to left-center field to drive in Iuppa. It was Cantone's second RBI of the weekend and gave the Jumbos a 1-0 advantage.
With the Jumbos on top, DiBiase looked poised to secure the advantage, retiring nine Bantams in a row following a one-out single in the fourth. But Trinity finally got to DiBiase in the bottom of the sixth when, with one out and nobody on, rising sophomore Abigail Ostrom launched a solo home run over the left field fence.
The offensive struggles continued for both teams as they were unable to push across any runs in the seventh and eighth innings. The ninth inning seemed to be much of the same but with two outs and nobody on base, the Jumbos caught a break.
Rising sophomore catcher Jo Clair lofted a high fly ball down the right field line that seemed certain to end the inning. But the ball was just far enough away to cause the Bantams' right fielder trouble, and before anyone knew what had happened, the ball was dropped and Clair was standing on third base.
A few pitches later, a ball squeaked by the catcher and Clair darted for home. The ball beat her by nearly five feet but the umpire ruled that the pitcher had obstructed the base line without the ball and granted Clair home plate and the Jumbos a 2-1 lead.
DiBiase returned to the mound in the bottom of the frame to shut down the Bantams in order, capping her heroic nine-inning effort. The one-run, seven-strikeout performance helped advance Tufts to the championship round against Middlebury.
"I definitely felt good about the way I pitched," DiBiase said. "I'm just happy I was able to help my team win and move on."
Tufts opened the weekend by defeating ex-Tufts coach Kris Herman and her Williams squad in another close game. Things were all tied up at two in the bottom of sixth when Cantone followed a single from rising senior shortstop Mira Lieman-Sifry by airing a fly ball out to left that just made it over the glove of the Ephs' left fielder. Lieman-Sifry came around to give her team a lead it never relinquished.
