Tuesday, April 15, 2003

DRAKE, LEE EARN NESCAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS

 MEDFORD – Senior catcher Lis Drake (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) of the Tufts University Softball team, and senior pitcher Jon Lee (Manhasset Hills, NY/Herricks) of the Jumbo Baseball team, were both honored as recipients of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week award on Monday. Both provided remarkable achievements during successful weeks for their respective teams. Lee shared the award with Middlebury's John Prescott.

In six Softball games last week (five wins), Drake tore the cover off the ball at the plate. In 16 at bats she had 10 hits, five for extra bases, for a .625 batting average and a 1.312 slugging percentage. She had 11 runs batted in, scored eight runs and hit three home runs in the six games. Her three-run bomb in the second game at Bridgewater State on Thursday (Apr. 10) lifted her into first place on the Tufts career runs batted in list with 114. In four games against NESCAC East Division opponents over the weekend, she hit .700 (7 for 10) with five runs scored, eight runs batted in and two home runs. She is the second straight Tufts player to earn the award after freshman pitcher Julia Brenta (San Anselmo, CA/Redwood) won it last week. Drake is hitting .403 overall with six home runs and 22 runs batted in.

Lee had one of the most impressive days in Tufts Baseball history on Saturday at Bowdoin. He started and earned the win in both ends of a double-header sweep of the Polar Bears. He went the distance in game one, allowing just three hits, one run and no walks in seven innings. Still fresh after a week of games cancelled by weather, Lee started the second game and was even better. In six innings he gave up two hits and no runs with no walks. For the day, he pitched 13 innings allowing one run (0.69 earned run average), five hits (.116 batting average) and no walks while striking out six. A two-time winner of this award already this season, and a six-time recipient for his career, Lee improved his record to 6-2 with a 2.51 earned run average and just eight walks in 43 innings.

The Tufts Softball team improved to 15-9 overall and is ranked fourth in the latest New England Intercollegiate Softball Association poll. Baseball is 13-5 and ranked second in the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association poll this week.

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