Teams: Softball: Schedule & Results

COLLEGE SOFTBALL FINAL SCORES
Tufts 6, Wellesley 5
Tufts 2, Eastern Connecticut 0

At Wellesley, MA
Sunday, April 12, 2009

Wellesley Box Score

Eastern Connecticut Box Score

A two-run single by Danielle Lopez provided the winning runs against Eastern Connecticut

MEDFORD -- Scarcely challenged in their New England schedule entering the day, the 10th ranked and undefeated Tufts softball team met two stern challenges head-on and came away with victories in both games on Easter Sunday at Wellesley College. Tufts defeated the host Blue, 6-5, in the first game, then won 2-0 against Eastern Connecticut. The Jumbos improved to 26-0 overall.

In game one, Tufts took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-out rally. After a Wellesley error and a walk to first-year DH Lena Cantone (Southington, CT), senior catcher Cara Hovhanessian (Framington, CT) launched a double to deep center field, just out of the reach of a diving Jessie Haladyna (St. John's, FL). The double plated Cantone and senior 3B Samantha Kuhles (Somerville, NJ) and gave the Jumbos a 2-0 advantage.

Wellesley responded in the bottom half of the inning, as Alex Warren (Delta, BC) knocked a solo home run over the right field fence to cut the lead to 2-1. With two out, Amanda Tai (Melrose, MA) laced a single over the Tufts shortstop and Megan Townsend (Saline, MI) picked up an infield single to put runners on first and second for the Blue, but Tufts starter Lauren Gelmetti (Westfield, NJ) forced a foul out to end the Wellesley threat.

Wellesley went ahead in the bottom of the fourth, when Megan Wood (Jacksonville, FL) and Davis led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After Gelmetti struck out Sinta Cebrian (Seattle, WA) and Warren popped out to third base, Brittany Bakacs (Millstone Township, NJ) hit a double over the right fielder's head to plate Wood and Davis and give Wellesley a 3-2 lead.

Tufts got the runs back and more in the top of the sixth inning. Senior 2B Danielle Lopez (Danvers, MA) and junior SS Casey Sullivan (Berlin, CT) picked up singles to start the frame, but a missed sacrifice bunt gave Wellesley one out. After the out, senior CF Laura Chapman (Seattle, WA) reached on a single to shortstop, but Wellesley hurler Barbarajean Grundlock (Blackwood, NJ) got Kuhles looking the next at bat. Tufts tied the game at 3-3 when Lopez scored on a passed ball and then took the lead on a double from Cantone that scored Chapman and Sullivan to make it 5-3. The Jumbos would add one more run, scoring on a Wellesley miscue to give Tufts a 6-3 lead.

Wellesley threatened in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Izzie Santone (Madison, CT), with two outs and a runner on first and second. However, Chapman made a diving catch to preserve the 6-3 advantage. In the bottom of the seventh, the Blue made things interesting. Daniele led off the inning with a single. After a ground out from Tai, Townsend singled to move Daniele to third, where a pinch-hit single from Sarah Sherburne knocked her home. After a pop-out on the next at-bat, a Davis single scored Townsend and cut the Tufts lead to 6-5. Cebrian followed the single with a walk to load the bases, but Santone forced a foul out to end the game.

Overall, Wellesley pounded out 12 hits to Tufts' nine. The Blue were led by Townsend who had three hits, while Davis and Warren added a pair each. Grundlock pitched well in the loss, throwing seven innings, allowing nine hits and only two earned runs.

For Tufts, senior LF Roni Herbst (Montclair, NJ) and Hovhanessian each recorded a pair of hits while Hovhanessian and Cantone drove in two each. Gelmetti picked up the win, throwing six innings and allowing three runs on eight hits.

Game two featured a pitcher's dual between Eastern Connecticut's Molly Rathburn (Hebron, CT) and Tufts' Santone. The game was scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when Kuhles led off the inning with a single. After Rathburn forced two consecutive pop outs, Tufts junior 1B Christy Tinker (Woodbridge, CT) reached on an Eastern miscue to put runners on first and second with two outs. Senior RF Maya Ripecky (Chicago, IL) then picked up an infield single to load the bases for Lopez, who laced a single to centerfield to put Tufts ahead, 2-0.

In the Eastern half of the inning, Kelly Finlay (Thomaston, CT) led off with a single while Priscilla Alicea (Trumbull, CT) reached on a walk to start a rally for the Warriors. However, Tufts' Chapman made another great play in center field, diving for the fly out and then doubling up pinch runner Rosie Manzo (Hudson, MA) off second base. Santone then picked up another fly out to preserve the win for Tufts.

Eastern Connecticut received one hit apiece from Priscilla Alicea (Trumbull, CT), Ashley Sullivan (Trumbull, CT), Molly Rathbun (Hebron, CT), and Kelly Finlay (Thomaston, CT). Rathbun, now 11-2 on the season, pitched well for the Warriors, but took the loss, giving up seven hits and two runs, neither earned, in seven innings of work.

Lopez led Tufts with two hits and two RBI. Kuhles recorded two hits as well, while Sullivan, Ripecky, and Chapman tallied one hit each. Santone (12-0) was strong in the circle, scattering four hits in seven scoreless innings of work.

The Jumbos play a make-up game at Bridgewater State College on Tuesday.

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