After blanking Bridgewater State 4?0 on Wednesday afternoon, the softball team will begin a critical three?game weekend series today at Bates, Tufts' final NESCAC East series of the regular season.
On Wednesday, a lethal combination of dominant pitching and timely hitting propelled the Jumbos to their 24th victory. Freshman Allyson Fournier tossed a complete game one?hitter against a Bears offense that had scored a combined 29 runs in its previous three games.
Fournier might have notched her third perfect game of the year, if not for a sixth inning bunt single by sophomore CorrieMcCue.
"Allyson has been solid all year long," sophomore catcher Jo Clair said. "She can't lose sight of the little things, though. She has to keep hitting her spots and making her pitches, and then I think the success will continue."
The rookie sensation fanned the first eight batters she faced in the outing, accumulating 15 strikeouts in the game to go along with zero walks. With the win, Fournier improved to a perfect 12?0 on the season and lowered her ERA to a remarkable 0.46.
Fournier's counterpart, Bridgewater State sophomore Amber White, was equally impressive in the early going, limiting Tufts to just one hit through the first three innings.
But with the game scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore right fielder Kayla Holland put the Jumbos on the board with a two?out, two?run home run. Clair added two insurance runs in the sixth with her own two?run blast, her league?leading seventh long ball of the year. With Fournier on the mound and in top form, the game was in good hands, and the Jumbos' 4?0 advantage held up as the final score.
"Any win for us is good, but I wouldn't say we needed Wednesday's win] heading into this weekend," senior tri?captain first baseman Lena Cantone said. "Win or lose the last game, we'd prepare for this next series the same way."
This afternoon, Tufts will begin a three?game set with a doubleheader against conference rival Bates. The Jumbos, who can notch the NESCAC East's No. 1 seed with just one win this weekend, will have their hands full.
After getting off to a slow start, Bates has completely turned its season around. The Bobcats are in the midst of a nine?game winning streak that includes an impressive three?game sweep over the Colby Mules. With a 4?2 mark in conference play, Bates can steal the NESCAC East throne from Tufts with a series sweep and then a series victory against Bowdoin to conclude the season.
But the Jumbos, who have won 13 of their last 14 games, are unfazed by any opponent.
"We approach every game the same way," Cantone said. "Every game is tough, but as long as we come in ready to play our game with our mentality I think we can get the job done."
Tufts will need to get ahead early, as Bates boasts a strong relief unit led by freshman Brenna Callahan. In 11 appearances, Callahan has a 2.10 ERA and has held opponents to a team?best .207 batting average.
Due to the possibility of rain, the doubleheader of the three?game set will be played on Friday instead of the usual Saturday twin?bill. That means today, the Jumbos will have two chances to seal the top spot in the division this afternoon.
