Teams: Softball: Schedule & Results

TUFTS ROUTS #4 ST. THOMAS, BUT LOSES FIRST GAME AGAINST WILLIAMS

COLLEGE SOFTBALL FINAL SCORES
Sun West Tournament
Tufts 12, St. Thomas 4 (5 inn.)
Williams 7, Tufts 6

At Orange, CA
Tuesday, March 18, 2008

St. Thomas Box Score

Williams Box Score

ORANGE, Calif. -- The #15 Tufts softball team had an up-and-down Tuesday at the Sun West Tournament. The Jumbos routed University of St. Thomas, ranked fourth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, 12-4 in five innings in their first game of the day. However, NESCAC rival Williams College, also in California this week, scored five late runs to give Tufts its first loss of the year, 7-6.

The Jumbos (5-1) had one of their biggest wins ever against the Tommies, who saw its win streak end at 11 games with the loss. St. Thomas (11-1) lost a game ended by an eight-run rule for the first time in eight seasons, covering 337 games.

The Jumbos scored four runs in the second and five more in the third to lead 9-1. Junior LF Laura Chapman (Seattle, WA) singled and scored in both innings. Senior co-captain catcher Megan Cusick (Albany, NY) continued her hot early-season hitting with a two-run single in the third. The Tufts lead grew to 11-1 on a two-run single by junior 3B Samantha Kuhles (Somerville, NJ) in the fourth.

Needing an eight-run lead to end the game after five innings, Tufts allowed three St. Thomas runs in the fifth. Alison Wright,who had two of the Toms five hits in the game, hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning. Fiona Lodge had an RBI double. The Jumbos won in five innings anyway, with junior RF Maya Ripecky (Chicago, IL) hitting a solo home run to end it in the bottom of the fifth.

Junior Lauren Gelmetti (Westfield, NJ) got the win in the pitcher's circle, allowing four hits and four runs in four innings. Ripecky and Kuhles both had three RBI in the game, while sophomore Jenna Robey (St. Ann, MO) was 2 for 2 and scored three times.

Later in the day, Tufts had a 4-2 lead on Williams entering the top of the seventh. The Ephs rallied in their half of the seventh inning. Morgan Simpson led off with a pinch-hit single and Katie Blankshain followed with a single. After an out, Becky Sansone hit an RBI-single to make it 4-3. The Jumbos made a pitching change, but Eph senior Katie Powers foiled that strategy by launching a three-run home run that put Williams up, 6-4. The Ephs added another run on an Emily Fowler-Cornfeld RBI-double. Tufts scored twice after two were out in the bottom of the seventh, but with two out and the tying run on second, Williams first-year Caitlyn Cain came on and induced a fly-out to end the contest.

Both Jumbo pitcher Kim Miner (Concord, MA) and Eph starter Mary Beth Daub threw blanks through three innings. The Ephs scored first with two runs in the top of the fourth when Libby Copeland-Halperin and Mary Gelber produced RBI-singles. Tufts scored once in the fifth with a double by senior 2B Danielle Lopez (Danvers, MA) and then three more times in the bottom of the sixth to take a 4-2 lead. Kuhles hit a two-run double in the sixth. Williams junior shortstop Joey Lye made a great play to end the sixth, making a diving stop of a grounder and jumping up to tag a Jumbo runner.

Sophomore SS Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT) had three hits for Tufts, while junior LF Roni Herbst (Montclair, NJ) had two hits and scored twice. Miner took the loss, allowing seven hits and five runs in 6.1 innings. Sansone was 3 for 4 with two runs for Williams.

Tufts takes Wednesday off before returning to action at Sun West on Thursday.

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