MEDFORD, MA (March 31, 2024) – Sophomore
Haley Leimbach hit a walk-off home run to give Tufts University a run-rule victory in Game 2 as the Jumbo softball team split two NESCSAC games against Williams College at Spicer Field on Sunday.
Leimbach's home run – one of three hit by Tufts in the game – gave the Jumbos a 10-1 win in five innings against Williams in the second game. The Ephs had scored five times in the top of the seventh to rally for a 6-2 victory in Game 1.
After this meeting between last spring's NESCAC finalists, Tufts moves to 14-4 overall and 3-1 in the conference. The Ephs are now 8-7 overall and 2-2 in the league.
Game 1 – Williams 6, Tufts 2
Down 2-1 heading into the seventh inning, the visiting Ephs had six hits and took advantage of a Tufts error to score their five runs. A single by Tayler Wise tied the game at 2-2, then the Ephs scored on a Jumbo error during a run-down to go ahead 3-2. Sydney Fleming struck a two-run double, then an infield single by Justine Dunaway scored another run and the Ephs led 6-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Williams starting pitcher Katie Blanch finished off the comeback win. She allowed eight hits and two runs (one earned) with four K's and no walks in seven innings.
Tufts had scored its two runs in the bottom of the second.
Lauryn Horita hit a one-out single and would score on a rbi base hit by
Bela Jimenez, then
Michelle Adelman singled home Leimbach who had reached by error.
Williams closed within 2-1 in the fourth as Fleming led off with a single and scored unearned on a Jumbo error.
Tufts starter
Sophia DiCocco pitched out of a jam in the sixth to keep it a 2-1 game, but Williams was able to rally against her in the seventh with early base hits by Blanch and Vicky Trujillo Balderas to get it started. DiCocco took the loss allowing 12 hits and two earned runs in 6.2 innings.
Williams' Fleming finished Game 1 at 2 for 4 with two runs and two rbis. Wise, Ronni Ramos and Balderas all had two hits.
Adelman went 2 for 4 at the top of the line-up for Tufts and Horita finished 2 for 3.
Game 2 – Tufts 10, Williams 1 (5 inn.)
Rachel Moore, Horita and Leimbach all homered as the Jumbos responded strongly in the second game.
A two-run Tufts first inning saw rbi doubles from
Josie Steinberg and
Kaitlyn Perucci.
Bela Jimenez then tripled with two outs in the second and scored on an Eph error while they were trying to catch Adelman (walk) stealing second.
Moore and Horita both hit their home runs in the third inning off Williams ace Sadie Leonard as the Jumbos grabbed a 5-0 lead. Williams would get its lone run in the next half-inning when Dunaway hit a lead-off homer against Jumbo starter
Sky Johnson.
Tufts then tallied five times with two outs in the bottom of the fifth to end the game early. After a Perucci walk and Horita's double,
Keriann Slayton singled home two runs. That chased Leonard, then
Lindsay Neumann hit an rbi double against reliever Emily Borrazzo. Leimbach then ended it with her first career home run.
Everyone in Tufts' line-up had at least one hit and scored a run in game two, led by two hits from Horita who also scored twice. Johnson improved to 5-1 going five innings giving up seven hits and one run with five strikeouts and no walks. She stranded Williams runners on second and third in both the first and fifth frames.
Natalie Carter started and took the loss for Williams. Wise was 3 for 3 at the top of the Eph line-up.
Next
Tufts is off during the week until traveling to Amherst College for a pair of NESCAC games next Saturday.
--JUMBOS--
