WILLIAMSTOWN, MA (April 13, 2025) - Visiting Tufts University scored three times in the fifth inning to overtake Williams College in Game 1, then the host Ephs won Game 2 in the bottom of the seventh as the teams split a pair of entertaining NESCAC softball games on Sunday at Cole Field. Both scores were 4-3.
For two of the teams in the top half of the NESCAC standings, the split left Tufts at 8-2 in the conference (12-12 overall) and Williams moved to 4-2 in the league (15-7).
Game 1 - Tufts 4, Williams 3
For the third straight Sunday, Tufts authored a comeback victory as the Jumbos overcame a 3-1 deficit to win 4-3 against the top pitcher in the league - Williams' Sadie Leonard. The Ephs' ace entered the game with a 10-0 record this season. Tufts had previous come-from-behind wins over Amherst College on March 30 and against Wesleyan University on April 6.
The Jumbos had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on the first home run of the season by
Kaitlyn Perucci. However, a three-run shot by Williams' Sydney Fleming in the bottom of the third put the Ephs ahead 3-1.
Into the fifth,
Cat Kawabe doubled with one out to start a Tufts rally. She moved to third on a base hit by
Bela Jimenez, who then took second on a steal. Perucci came through with a two-run double to tie the score at 3-3. After taking third on a wild pitch, Perucci scored the go-ahead run on a single by
Lauryn Horita.
The Jumbo defense would help preserve the one-run margin. In the bottom of the fifth, Eph Katie Blanch singled with one out and took second on base hit by Justine Dunaway. However, on a fly ball to center, the Jumbos'
Lindsay Neumann made the catch and threw Blanch out at third trying to advance. In the bottom of the sixth, Jimenez,
Haley Leimbach and Perucci turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning after a one-out base hit by Williams' April Medrano. Then in the bottom of the seventh, Jimenez fielded a slow roller between first and second and had to make the put-out herself diving for the bag to record the first out. This became even more significant after Eph Alysa DeQuiroz came up next and singled.
From there Tufts starter
Sophia DiCocco got the final two outs, including a well-hit liner to center by Fleming that Neumann grabbed. DiCocco finished with the complete-game win (7 IP, 12 H, 3 R).
Perucci was 2 for 4 with three rbis and two runs to lead Tufts at the plate.
Williams' Leonard was defeated for the first time this spring, allowing eight hits and four runs in seven innings. The Ephs out-hit Tufts 12-8, led by three hits by DeQuiroz. Fleming went 2 for 4 with three rbis and a run, while Dunaway had two hits in the first game.
Game 2 - Williams 4, Tufts 3
Starting pitchers
Lacy Chilek for Tufts and Blanch for Williams threw four scoreless innings each before both teams scored in the fifth.
Tufts took a 1-0 lead after Neumann led off the fifth with a walk. She would score on a seeing-eye single by Jimenez. Williams went ahead 3-1 in the bottom of the frame though, as Lauren Davis doubled, DeQuiroz hit an rbi-single and then Fleming blasted a two-run homer.
The Jumbos had runners on second and third with two outs in the sixth, but could not capitalize. However, they came through in the top of the seventh with two to tie the score at 3-3.
Madi Sewell, making her first career start, singled up the middle to lead off. Jimenez then hit a one-out single and stole second to set up runners on second and third with one out. After the Ephs got Sewell in a fielder's choice rundown between third and home,
Heaven Oliva delivered a two-out, two-run single to tie the game for the Jumbos.
The Ephs would win it with their own two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh against reliever
Fallon O'Connor. Kayla Chang singled and came all the way around to score the winning run on a double into the left-center gap by DeQuiroz.
Jimenez had three hits at the top of the order for Tufts. Oliva and
Keriann Slayton finished with two hits for the Jumbos. Chilek (4.2 IP, 7 H, 3 R) had a solid start before running into trouble in the fifth, while O'Connor (2 IP, 2 H, 1 R) took the loss in relief.
The top three in Williams' order did damage in game two as Chang was 2 for 4 with a run, DeQuiroz went 3 for 4 with two rbis and a run and Fleming finished 2 for 3 with two rbis and a run. Blanch earned the win going all seven innings allowing nine hits and three runs.
Next
The Jumbos will play their first non-conference games since starting their New England schedule at MIT (14-6) on Wednesday.
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--JUMBOS--
