Box Score
WELLESLEY - Game two of a triple-header at Wellesley College on Sunday featured a rematch of two of the top teams in the nation. Third-ranked Eastern Connecticut and #11 Tufts met on March 19, with the Jumbos coming out on top, 4-2. This time, Eastern got revenge, as All-American pitcher Molly Rathbun hurled a perfect game, stifling a potent Tufts offense, while also driving in three runs at the plate.
Tufts had recently won a pair of NESCAC East Division contests on perfect games pitched by Jumbo first-year Allyson Fournier (South Windsor, CT), but this time they were the victim.
Rathbun put the Warriors ahead 1-0, with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Tufts would keep Eastern off the board until the fifth inning, when Megan Godwin and Arielle Cooper reached on infield singles and Rathbun laced a double into left for a 3-0 lead.
The Warriors completed their scoring in the top of the sixth, stretching the lead to 4-0, after a Godwin single scored pinch-runner Rosie Manzo. Kassondra Silva started the rally with a one-out single to right field.
Rathbun was stellar the rest of the way, closing out the perfect game. She finished with seven innings pitched and seven strikeouts. At the plate, she and Godwin each had two hits, while Cooper extended her hit streak to 16 games with an infield single.
Tufts' Lauren Giglio (Niskayuna, NY) started the game, pitching the first inning, allowing the Rathbun home run. DiBiase pitched well in relief, throwing six innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits.
The Jumbos (23-4) lost their first game since returning from their spring trip, ending a 12-game winning streak. They return to action on Wednesday when they host Bridgewater State for a single game at Spicer Field starting at 3 pm.
Eastern (24-1), whose loss to Tufts in Florida remains its only setback, plays Wellesley later on Sunday to conclue the triple-header.
Game box score
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