MEDFORD, MA (April 19, 2025) – Moved to the three-spot in the batting order for Game 2, junior shortstop
Haley Leimbach went 2 for 3 with two rbis to help the Tufts University softball team earn a 6-3 victory and split a NESCAC double-header with Colby College on Saturday afternoon at Spicer Field.
Playing their first games at home in nearly two weeks, the Jumbos lost Game 1 3-1 before earning the 6-3 victory in the second game. Tufts is now 17-13 overall and 11-3 in NESCAC. Colby moved to 11-12 and 5-3 in the conference.
Game 1 – Colby 3, Tufts 1
Tufts'
Sophia DiCocco and Colby's Ashley Correll were locked in a pitcher's duel for the first three innings. The Mules would be first to break through, scoring on doubles by Caroline DeSimone and Victoria Ramirez in the top of the fourth inning.
Correll would extend her scoreless start through four innings, giving up five hits and one walk but no runs. In what would be her final frame, she stranded the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth after allowing singles by Leimbach and Kawabe to go with a Mules' error.
The Mules then added to the lead in the fifth inning with two unearned runs after two were out. Following a Tufts error, consecutive singles by Erika MacLeod, Emma Burnham (rbi) and Caroline DeSimone (rbi) grew Colby's lead to 3-0.
The Mules went to the bullpen for Sophia Meade to start the fifth and she pitched a 1-2-3 inning. Then in the top of the sixth, Ramirez and Avery Lyman singled as Colby put runners on base again. However, DiCocco stranded both by recording the final two outs.
Tufts' lone run came with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Leimbach singled and
Madi Sewell reached by error on a bunt with Leimbach taking third. During a rundown on Sewell's attempted steal, an error was made allowing Leimbach to score. Meade got the next two out to leave Sewell at second.
After McLeod walked to lead off the Colby seventh, O'Connor came in from the bullpen and got three outs to keep the score 3-1.
The Jumbos would make it interesting in the seventh against Meade. With two outs Kerianna Slayton and
Heaven Oliva both singled, putting the potential tying runs on base. Meade got a grounder to second though, and the Mules ended the game on a fielder's choice out.
DeSimone was 2 for 4 with a run and an rbi, and Ramirez went 2 for 3 with an rbi for Colby. Meade earned her fifth save, allowing three hits and no earned runs in three innings.
Slayton and Leimbach had two hits each for Tufts. DiCocco took the loss (6 IP, 7 H, 1 ER) and O'Connor pitched a scoreless inning of relief with two K's.
Game 2 – Tufts 6, Colby 3
The wind played havoc with outfielders in Game 2, starting in the top of the first. DeSimone hit a sky-high fly ball that got caught up in the wind and fell for a triple with one out. She scored on a single through the left side by Carissa Cassidy. After Cassidy stole second, she then scored on a double by Emma Wilcox and the Mules had a quick 2-0 lead.
The Jumbos answered when
Bela Jimenez led off the bottom of the first with a single to right field, then caught the Mules napping and took second on the play. After going to third on a ground out, Jimenez scored on a single to center by Leimbach and it was 2-1.
Unlucky in the top of the first, Tufts starter
Lacy Chilek pitched the next three innings scoreless. In the second, Leimbach from near the line in shallow left field threw out McLeod trying to stretch a single into a double for the third out. Following another wind-blown triple in the third inning, this one by Cassidy, Chilek left her there with a fly ball out.
Meanwhile, Tufts scored three times in the second inning to take a 4-2 margin. Sewell stayed hot with a lead-off double, then after a walk to
Lindsay Neumann she scored on an rbi single to center field by
Cat Kawabe. Jimenez's sacrifice fly and Leimbach's single brought in the other two runs.
Tufts' own wind-aided triple, by Horita, and a sacrifice fly from Slayton put the hosts up 5-2 in the bottom of the third.
After scoreless innings in the fourth pitched by Chilek and Colby reliever KC DeSarno, the Mules closed to within 5-3 in the fifth. Kelsey Sullivan led off with a single, was sacrificed twice to third and scored on a two-out single by DeSimone.
Tufts reinstated their three-run lead in the bottom of the fifth frame though. Slayton hit a one-out single and Sewell drilled another double to center to bring her in (6-3).
Colby put two runners on with a Ramirez double and a two-out walk to Juliana Kiley in the top of the sixth. Tufts went to the bullpen for O'Connor and she got a fly ball out to keep the Mules off the scoreboard.
After Tufts went down 1-2-3 versus DeSarno in their sixth, O'Connor did the same to Colby in the top of the seventh including two strikeouts to close out the win.
Eight Jumbos had hits in the game, with the two by Leimbach and two by Sewell leading the way. Chilek improved to 4-0 with the pitching victory (5.2 IP, 8 H, 3 R), while O'Connor was great in relief again (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R).
DeSimone and Cassidy led Colby with two hits apiece. Clay took the pitching loss (1 IP, 5 H, 4 R), while DeSarno had a good outing in relief (5 IP, 5 H, 2 R).
Next
Tufts will play a rare single game at Spicer against Babson College on Tuesday beginning at 4 PM.
--JUMBOS--
