MEDFORD, MA (April 7, 2023) – First-year
Emilie Doty and junior
Sophia DiCocco combined to give up just five hits and three runs as the #9 Tufts University softball team swept a NESCAC double-header from Amherst College 9-1 (5 inn.) and 8-2 on Friday afternoon at Spicer Field.
The meeting was a rematch of last year's NESCAC final, won 1-0 by Amherst. The Jumbos got a measure of revenge today with the sweep which improved their record to 19-1 overall and 4-0 in the league. The Mammoths dropped to 13-5 and 1-3.
Tufts had 24 hits on the day, led by senior CF
Michelle Adelman who was 5 for 7 with three runs and three rbis and junior 2B
Bela Jimenez who went 5 for 8 with three runs and three rbis.
In game one Doty did not allow a hit until the fourth inning by which time Tufts led 5-0. A five-run second-inning featured a three-run home run by Tufts freshman
Kaitlyn Perucci, her fourth of the season. Jimenez had an rbi single in the frame and two Amherst errors helped allow another run to score.
Junior Sadie Pool had an infield single for the Mammoth's first hit, advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches and scored on Dani Torres Werra's ground ball.
In the fourth Adelman singled and then scored after stealing second and coming around during two Amherst throwing errors on the play. The Jumbos scored three times in the fifth to end the game by the eight-run rule, with rbis by Jimenez and Adelman and a wild pitch scoring
Kat Yuzefpolsky with the ninth run.
Doty improved to 5-0 allowing two hits and the one run with six K's and a walk in five innings. Jimenez (2 for 4, two rbis, run), Adelman (2 for 3, two runs, rbi) and Perucci (2 for 3, three rbis, run) led Tufts offensively while
Emma Jacobson and Yuzefpolsky scored twice.
In game two, DiCocco was perfect until Amherst's Pool led off the fifth with a home run to left field. It was the first over-the-fence home run DiCocco has allowed in her career. She went on to get the win for a 7-1 record, striking out nine with no walks while allowing three hits and the two runs in seven innings.
Tufts scored in each of the first five innings and led comfortably throughout again. Senior SS
Josie Steinberg had a rbi with a fielder's choice and executed a double steal with
Rachel Moore to score and put Tufts up 2-0 in the first. A double by
Keriann Slayton and a single by Jimenez plated Tufts' third run in the second inning.
Perucci doubled, Moore tripled and
Haley Leimbach singled leading to two runs and a 5-0 Jumbo lead in the third. Adelman singled, stole second and scored on a double by Steinberg in the fourth, then the Jumbos tallied their final runs on a two-rbi triple by Adelman in the fifth.
Amherst's second run came on a Rachel Lovejoy infield single that scored Audrey Orlowski, who had reached by fielder's choice.
Jimenez at 3 for 4 with two runs and an rbi and Adelman at 3 for 4 with two rbis and a run led the Jumbos again. Leimbach had two hits and an rbi while Steinberg drove home two runs.
Abby Moravek in game one (2 IP, 7 H, 5 R (1 ER)) and Orlowski in game two (3 IP, 8 H, 5 R (4 ER)) were the losing pitchers for the visitors. Pool finished the day 2 for 5 with two runs scored and an rbi for the Mammoths.
The Jumbos get right back at it tomorrow at noon with a conference double-header at home against Colby College.
--JUMBOS--
