BABSON PARK, MA (April 30, 2024) – Trailing 5-0 in the first inning, the #16 Tufts University softball team chipped away and came back for an impressive 6-5 extra-inning victory at Babson College on Tuesday afternoon.
Junior pitcher
Sky Johnson came on in relief and shut down the host Beavers.
Bela Jimenez singled home the tying run for the Jumbos (29-6) in the top of the seventh, then
Lauryn Horita brought home the eventual game-winning run with a two-out single in the eighth.
The game got off to a rough start for the Jumbos, as they allowed five Babson runs in the bottom of the first inning. Starter
Sophia DiCocco gave up three hits, walked two and hit a batter, and there was a Jumbo error. Babon's Sophia Pak hit a two-run single to cap the inning. Tufts center fielder
Michelle Adelman did manage to limit the damage by catching a line drive and throwing out a runner at the plate for a double play.
The Jumbos got one back in the second.
Kaitlyn Perucci walked and Adelman was hit by a pitch to start the frame. After two outs were recorded,
Keriann Slayton singled in Perucci to make it 5-1. Tufts loaded the bases with a
Haley Leimbach walk, which already brought the potential tying run to the plate, but Babson starter Moira O'Reilly got a fly ball out.
Johnson came in to pitch the second inning for Tufts. She surrendered a two-out triple to Kate Karamouzis, but was able to strand her with a ground-ball out. Johnson would allow just five hits and no runs in her seven innings to get the win.
The Jumbos continued to chip away with two more runs in the third, loading the bases on singles by
Josie Steinberg and Horita and a walk to Perucci. A
Heaven Oliva single and a fielder's choice by Jimenez scored runs to cut the margin to 5-3.
Tufts would load the bases yet again in the fourth, thanks to singles by Leimbach, Steinberg and
Keila McCabe. Adelman then worked a two-out walk to score
Rachel Moore making it 5-4. Oliva hit one to the fence in left where Pak made a nice catch for the final out of the frame.
Katie Vlacich came on in relief for Babson in the fifth and pitched a 1-2-3 inning. In the sixth Tufts' Steinberg singled with one out and got into scoring position, but Vlacich got a pop-up to leave her there.
The Beavers (20-16) put runners on first and third with one out in the sixth on base hits by Molly Hennessy and Pak. However, they attempted a double-steal and Tufts got the out at home with a Slayton-to-Steinberg-to-Moore-to-Slayton defensive combination. Johnson then stranded Pak on third with a line out.
Tufts tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh. Adelman was hit by a pitch, stole second and took third on a wild pitch. She scored on a one-out single to right by Jimenez. Johnson then put Babson down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh and the game went to extra innings.
With the tie-breaker rule in play, Moore sacrificed pinch-runner
Sarah Cullen to third and then Horita – who reentered to hit – drove her home with a single to center. Johnson stranded the Babson runner on third in the bottom of the eighth to end it.
Steinberg was 3 for 5 with a run for Tufts, who finished with 10 hits. Horita went 2 for 3 with a run and an rbi. Jimenez drove home two runs.
Sara Moore had two hits at the top of the Babson batting order, while Hennessy went 2 for 4 and Pak was 2 for 3. Vlacich took the loss, allowing three hits and two runs (one earned) in four frames.
Tufts will finish its regular-season and NESCAC schedule at Bowdoin College on Saturday with a double-header beginning at noon.
--JUMBOS--
