Date: Monday, May 7, 2001

SOFTBALL WINS NESCAC TITLE, EARNS FIFTH NCAA TOURNEY BERTH

MEDFORD – The Tufts University softball team won all of its three games in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament to win the league championship and earn an automatic berth into the 2001 NCAA Tournament. This is the fifth straight season Tufts will play in the NCAAs.

The Jumbos (26-9-1), seeded third in the NCAA New England region, will take on sixth seed Pine Manor College Gators in the first round at Bridgewater State College on Friday (May 11). The double-elimination tournament includes the #1 seed Bridgewater Bears, #2 seed Wheaton Lyons, #4 seed Western Connecticut Colonials and #5 seed Roger Williams Hawks. The regional champ will move on to the College World Series in Eau Claire, Wisconsin May 17-21.

Tufts played in the College World Series last spring in Salem, Virginia. The core of that team returned this spring and is rolling along with 18 wins in their last 20 games entering the tournament. Head Coach Kris Talon's team won the NESCAC East Division title with a 7-1 record. Tufts hosted the NESCAC Tournament at Spicer Field and knocked off Amherst (4-1), Williams (2-1) and Bowdoin (8-2) on their way to the championship.

Junior P Jodie Moreau (Clarksburg, MA) allowed just eight hits and no earned runs during 20 innings pitched over the weekend. The NESCAC Player of the Week for the second time this season for her efforts, she threw a one-hitter against Williams in Saturday's critical winner's bracket game. Moreau has won 12 straight starts and lowered her earned run average to 1.19.

Senior CF Randee McArdle (East Nassau, NY) carried the offense in the championship game against Bowdoin. She singled and scored in the second, tripled home two runs in the third, and singled home two more runs in the fourth. McArdle will be playing in her sixth NCAA Tournament for Tufts, including two as the women's soccer goalkeeper. She helped soccer reach the NCAA Championship Game that was played in Medford back in November.

In the 2-1 tournament win over Williams, junior SS Jen Mackey (Swampscott, MA) singled home a run and junior 1B Tiffany Trahan (Chelmsford, MA) followed with a run-scoring double in the third. Mackey had three hits and scored four runs in the three games, while freshman 3B Deana Davidian (Pelham, NY) led the Jumbos with a .444 batting average (4/9) in the tournament.

The 2001 Jumbos have been the most powerful in team history. Their 22 home runs this spring area new team record, though they haven't hit one in five games. Sophomore C Lis Drake (Chelmsford, MA) broke the single-season and career home runs records with her eight this season and 17 total. McArdle became the team's career runs batted in leader and has 101 in 140 games. She and Trahan each have six home runs. The Jumbos are hitting .323 as a team, with Trahan (.378), Mackey (.375), McArdle (.369), Drake (.357) and sophomore Jenica Spogen (Chehalis, WA) (.341) all hitting over .340 as regulars. Freshman OF Julie Fox (Willow Springs, IL), who started all three NESCAC Tournament games, is hitting .372 in 43 at bats.

Junior Emily Ferrazza (Westminster, MA), who had two hits in the NESCAC championship game, starts at second base for Tufts. Sophomore Nikki Blotner (San Diego, CA), who had the team's only RBI against Amherst in the NESCACs, plays right field. Freshmen Beth Polisson (Swampscott, MA), Kasey Lindsey (San Antonio, TX) and Maggie McClory (Melrose, MA) all saw action in nearly 20 games.

Moreau, who was 2-3 on the team's spring trip to California, has been tough to hit during the team's New England schedule. She's 12-0 with a 0.23 earned run average and 38 hits allowed in 90.2 innings since Tufts returned east. She's walked just seven and has 85 strike outs during that stretch. Senior co-captain Rachel Brecher (Newington, CT) is 8-6 with a 2.75 era in 15 appearances this season.

Tufts has had five straight NESCAC Players of the Week since April 8. Moreau has won it twice and Trahan, Mackey and McArdle have also been recognized.

With its combination of hitting and pitching, along with a steady defense that has posted a .958 fielding percentage, Tufts looks to put it all together this weekend to earn a return trip to the College World Series. The New England regional will feature four teams ranked in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Top 25. Tufts, at #24, is the lowest below #6 Western Connecticut, #7 Bridgewater State and #15 Wheaton. If the Jumbos get past Pine Manor on Friday at 12 noon, they will play Wheaton at 4 pm. The tournament continues on Saturday and Sunday.

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