Date: Monday, April 22, 2002
Written by Michael Douglas

JUMBOS ACHIEVE INDIVUDAL HONORS AS TEAM CONTINUES TO WIN

MEDFORD - As the 2002 regular season winds down, the players of the Tufts University Softball team are reaping the benefits of the team's success.  Senior 1B Tiffany Trahan (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) broke the school's career RBI record this past weekend, knocking in the 104th run of her four-year career. Many of those runs have been scored by her classmate, shortstop Jen Mackey (Swampscott, MA/Swampscott), who was named New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week. Trahan and Mackey led the Jumbos (20-7, 4-0 NESCAC) to a 4-0 record this week with double-header sweeps over Bates and Springfield.

Trahan edged former teammate Randee McArdle's total of 103 set just one year ago. She knocked in the record-breaker, her 28th RBI of the year, on a two-run home run in Tufts' 8-0 victory in the first game at Bates on Saturday (April 20). It was her 17th career home run, the second-highest total all-time to teammate Lis Drake (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford). With 32 doubles, Trahan is one shy of McArdle's career record of 33.

The record-tying RBI was scored by Mackey, who put up great numbers to earn her first NESCAC Player of the Week honors of the year. She batted .500 on the week (8-for-16), with six runs scored. In the first game of last Tuesday's doubleheader against Springfield, Mackey went 3 for 5 with two runs scored in an 8-5 extra-inning victory. Mackey currently leads the NESCAC in hits (42) and batting average (.525). She was 3 for 4 with two runs scored in the first game at Bates.

Like Trahan, Mackey is in reach of a few records of her own. She is on pace to eclipse Tufts' single-season batting average record of .462, set 17 years ago by Kelly Burke. Also, her 33 runs scored this season ties a personal best, and are only six short of the single-season record of 39 set by Beth Arruda in 1995.

With five regular-season games remaining, Tufts has clinched a berth in the 2002 NESCAC Softball tournament. The Jumbos (20-7 overall) will next hit Spicer Field this Wednesday as they host a double-header against Amherst College. The first game will begin at 3:30 pm.

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