Box Score Recap courtesy of MIT
CAMBRIDGE - The #20 MIT softball team defeated #18 Tufts University, 2-1, in 14 innings in the winner's bracket game of the Cambridge Regional at the 2018 NCAA Division III Softball Championship Tournament on Sunday morning. With the win, the Engineers advance to tomorrow's Regional Championship game. Tufts will have to play an elimination game against either UMass Boston or Framingham State later on Sunday in order to make it to Monday's championship round.
Host MIT (35-7-1) broke the program record for wins and now have 35 to their credit heading into tomorrow's game. MIT will need just one win tomorrow to move on to the NCAA Super Regional next weekend for the second time in three seasons.
> Watch Tufts Press Conference
> Watch MIT Press Conference
MIT scored in the opening inning for the second straight day to take an early 1-0 lead. Senior Amanda Lee singled through the left side, moved to second on a fielder's choice and scored on a hard hit single up the middle by sophomore Madi Pickett.
In the top of the third, MIT nearly doubled its advantage with Jasmin Joseph on third base. Lee dropped a bunt to try and score Joseph, but a great toss from Tufts third baseman Jamie Stevens to catcher Raven Fournier cut Joseph down at the plate and left the score at 1-0.
Tufts got on the board in the bottom of the third and tied the game at 1-1. Sofia Molina began the frame with a single to right. Molina was run for by Reegan Coleman, who advanced to second, third and home on three wild pitches. MIT brought in Colleen Campbell out of the bullpen with one out in the inning and she got Edie Huling to strike out and Fournier to fly out to right to end the threat.
After the game was postponed on Saturday due to the rain, the game was picked up in the bottom of the sixth on Sunday morning with the score still tied at 1-1. The score remained that way until the top of the 14th inning. In the top of the 14th, Devon Goetz led off with a double to right-center and moved to third on a fly out by Lee. In the very next at-bat, Goetz came across the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Campbell returned to the circle for her 11th inning of work and retired the side in order via ground out, fly out and strike out to give MIT the win and secure its spot in the Regional Championship game scheduled for tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.
Campbell earned the win for MIT which moved her record to 11-2 this spring. In 11.2 innings in relief, she scattered just two hits and struck out 11. Tufts starter Kristi Van Meter, who threw all 14 innings, allowed seven hits, two earned runs, one walk and struck out 18 batters.
Of the seven hits that MIT had in today's game, two came from Joseph and two came from Pickett.
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