MEDFORD, MA (May 10, 2024) – The #1 seed Tufts University softball team scored eight runs in the third inning leading to a 10-0 victory in five innings against #8 seed Wesleyan University in the quarterfinals of the NESCAC Championship Tournament on Friday afternoon at Spicer Field.
The Jumbos (32-6) advance to the semifinals where they will play at 2:30 PM tomorrow against the winner of Game 3 of the tournament between #4 seed Colby College and #5 seed Trinity College. Wesleyan's season ended with a 16-21 mark.
Senior pitcher
Sophia DiCocco threw a five-inning one-hitter for the Jumbos today. A single up the middle by Wesleyan's Isabella Secaira-Cotta with one out in the fourth was the only hit allowed by DiCocco.
Secaira-Cotto started in the circle for the Cardinals and matched DiCocco for the first two innings. However, in the third the Jumbos would send 14 batters to the plate and had eight hits while scoring eight times. Tufts scored all eight of their runs before Wesleyan recorded an out.
An rbi single by
Keila McCabe provided the first run of the game, then
Kaitlyn Perucci doubled home a run before a Wesleyan error allowed the third Jumbo run to score. Perucci would then impressively maneuver through a long rundown between third and home to score on a fielder's choice. A single by
Bela Jimenez and a double off the top of the fence from
Keriann Slayton scored runs that made it 6-0.
Lindsay Neumann capped the inning with a two-run pinch-hit single.
Tufts would add on when
Heaven Oliva clubbed her third home run of the season to lead off the fourth. Another Jimenez single and an rbi base hit by
Haley Leimbach brought in the final Jumbo run.
Jimenez finished 2 for 2 with two runs and an rbi for Tufts. Slayton (2 for 3, run, rbi), Steinberg and
Michelle Adelman (both 2 for 4, run) also led Tufts' 13-hit attack. DiCocco improved to 13-4 in the circle with the five-inning shutout.
The Jumbos did commit three errors in the game. DiCocco would strand Cardinals on second and third in the fourth inning after Wesleyan's lone hit and a Tufts miscue.
Secaira-Cotto took the loss for the Cardinals, giving up seven hits and seven earned runs in two innings.
--JUMBOS--
