MARSHALL, TX (June 1, 2024) – The Tufts University softball team was eliminated from the NCAA DIII College World Series today in a 3-0 loss to Belhaven University. The Blazers' Kennedy Carruth threw a four-hit shutout at the Jumbos.
The Jumbos finish an excellent season at 39-10 overall. Head coach
Lauren Ebstein's team was an NCAA Regional and NCAA Super Regional winner and finished tied for fifth at the NCAA Finals.
Belhaven improved to 44-8 and advances as one of the four teams remaining at the College World Series site at East Texas Baptist University.
The only runs in the game were scored in the top of the fourth inning. Belhaven's Ellie Jones single up middle with one out to start the rally. Katie Jo Richardson hit one to the left side where
Josie Steinberg made a great stop, but could not get a force at second. Natalie Parker then doubled to the right-center field gap scoring Jones. Two more runs would score on fielder's choices, with rbis to Anna Caime and Mary Moore Widemire, giving Belhaven a 3-0 advantage. Still with only one out, Steinberg got to a ball up the middle and turned a 6-3 double play to prevent any further damage.
The shutout for Carruth was her 10th. Tufts had a one-out single in the first by
Lauryn Horita who was stranded. In the bottom of the second,
Rachel Moore led off with single and was sacrificed to second by
Keila McCabe, but Belhaven right fielder Jordan Kanipe made a nice running catch on a ball hit by
Keriann Slayton to end the inning.
Haley Leimbach then led off the third with a sharp single to center, but the Jumbos couldn't take advantage of it.
From there Carruth retired nine in row before Steinberg broke it with a hard single to left to start the sixth. The Jumbos couldn't get her around and then went 1-2-3 in the seventh.
Tufts starter
Sophia DiCocco allowed just five hits and two earned runs in her seven innings. She did not walk a batter and retired 11 of the last 12 she faced.
Carruth struck out 10 with no walks while improving to 28-5 with the victory. Allie Gordon had two hits for the Blazers.
Ranked by wins at the NCAA Finals, this 2024 Tufts team is tied for the fifth-best season in Jumbo history.
Watch the Tufts Press Conference ...
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