Teams: Softball: Schedule & Results

TUFTS ROLLS TO TWO VICTORIES AT SUN WEST TOURNAMENT

COLLEGE SOFTBALL FINAL SCORES
Sun West Tournament
Tufts 12, St. Mary's (MN) 4 (6 inn.)
Tufts 12, LaSierra 1 (6 inn.)

At Orange, CA
Friday, March 21, 2008

St. Mary's Box Score

LaSierra Box Score

ORANGE, Calif. -- The Tufts University softball team rebounded from a two-loss day on Thursday to post two eight-run rule victories on Friday at the Sun West Tournament. The Jumbos defeated St. Mary's College of Minnesota for the second time this week, 12-4, in six innings in their first game of the day. They followed with a 12-1 win over LaSierra University from Riverside, California.

The Jumbos pulled away from St. Mary's. The teams went back and forth in the early innings and St. Mary's had a 4-3 lead after two. Jenny Giannini hit a two-run single to spark the second for the Cardinals. In a two-run first for Tufts, sophomore 1B Christy Tinker (Woodbridge, CT) singled home a run and scored. Still behind entering the bottom of the fourth, the Jumbos scored five times to take control at 8-4. Senior 2B Danielle Lopez (Danvers, MA), who had doubled in the first, hit a two-run double in the fourth. Tufts would end it with four runs in the sixth, two scoring on wild pitches.

First-year pitcher Izzie Santone (Madison, CT) went the distance in the pitcher's circle for the Jumbos, allowing two earned runs in six innings. Lopez was 3 for 4 with three runs and three RBI and sophomore SS Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT) finished 2 for 3 with two runs and two RBI. Cassie Otte had two of St. Mary's six hits, while Danielle Geske had two RBI early in the game.

A three-run home run by Sullivan broke open the LaSierra game. Tufts scored single runs in the first and third, with RBI by Lopez and Sullivan. With two on and no out in the fifth, Sullivan homered for a 5-0 Jumbo advantage. Tufts added six runs in the sixth, most of them unearned, to lead 12-0. Senior 3B Heather Kleinberger (New City, NY) led off the Jumbo fifth and sixth innings with singles and scored on both.

Sophomore Stephanie Tong (Burlingame, CA) cruised to the pitching victory, allowing just two hits overall and an unearned run in the sixth. LaSierra's Kristina Saenz broke up the shutout with a sacrifice fly. Sullivan finished 3 for 4 with five RBI and two runs scored. Kleinberger and junior LF Roni Herbst (Montclair, NJ) were both 2 for 3 and scored two runs.

The Jumbos finish their California trip with Saturday games against Pacific and Cal State San Marcos.

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