Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 Part of recap courtesy of Wheaton College
NORTON - The two-time defending NCAA Champion Tufts Softball team finished its regular season undefeated at 38-0 with Sunday's double-header sweep at Wheaton College on Sunday. The Jumbos won the games 10-0 (five innings) and 8-5.
Senior Allyson Fournier improved to 22-0 on the season with a complete-game effort in the circle alongside one hit, a walk, and 11 strikeouts in game one. Sophomore 1B Cassie Ruscz and first-year catcher Raven Fournier both homered and combined for five rbis in the second game.
Tufts has now won 40 in a row overall including the last two games at the NCAA Finals last May to win the 2014 title. Head coach Cheryl Milligan's Jumbos, ranked #1 nationally, will host the NESCAC Championship tournament at Spicer Field next weekend (May 1-3).
Wheaton College, ranked #18 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top-25 poll, dropped to 28-6 overall with the pair of losses at home on Clark Field.
The Jumbos took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of game one as senior Michelle Cooprider launched a solo home run to left field, her second of the spring.
Tufts went on to score six runs in the second inning, which was highlighted by a three-run homer by junior Christina Raso.
In the fifth, the Jumbos added three more runs on a sharply hit double up the middle by Ruscz that reached the center field fence and cleared the bases.
Fournier gave up a leadoff hit in the bottom of the fifth, but used a strike out and foul pop up to the shortstop before Wheaton had a runner thrown out at second on a stolen base attempt to lock up the victory.
Wheaton senior starter Emily Berardi was tagged with the loss on 1 1/3 innings pitched, four hits, five runs (all earned), and one walk.
In game two, Tufts junior Erica County pushed her record to 15-0 throwing seven innings, while yielding seven hits, five runs (four earned), and three walks to go with two strikeouts.
Wheaton senior Noelle Christmas was dealt her first loss of the season (7-0) on 6 1/3 innings pitched, 11 hits, eight runs (seven earned), two walks and a strikeout. First-year Allison Cox recorded the final two outs for the Lyons inducing a pair of pop ups.
Ruscz gave Tufts a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a towering two-run home run that just missed hitting the left field foul pole. Raven Fournier followed with an opposite field home run to right in the next at-bat for the Jumbos to extend their advantage to 3-0. Ruscz paces Tufts in home runs with 10, while Raven Fournier ranks second with six.
Wheaton sophomore Caroline Fairbanks got a run right back for the hosts in the second inning with a no-doubter home run to left field, her team-leading 10th round-tripper of the season.
Tufts answered with three runs in the fourth inning as first-year Samantha Siciliano notched an rbi single to center, while two more runs came across home plate later in the frame on a fielding error.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Lyons cut their deficit to 6-5 on a wild play with two outs and the bases loaded. Junior Emma Hart plated two runners with a hard-hit single through the left side of the infield for a 6-3 score.
Hart and sophomore Mary DeMoura then moved up to second and third base, respectively, on a fielding error in center before both runners scored on a heads-up base running play by DeMoura. With the softball not completely in the circle yet, DeMoura took off for home and stole it cleanly before Hart raced home as well on a throwing error.
Both teams were held scoreless until the top of the seventh inning when Raven Fournier roped a two-run single up the middle to make it 8-5.
In the bottom half, County set down Wheaton's 4-5-6 hitters in order to complete the sweep.
Wheaton (28-6) will host day one of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Softball Tournament on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. The Lyons will play the winner of #5 Wellesley and #4 Springfield at 4:30 p.m. Tufts hosts Middlebury in its conference tournament on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
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