GLASSBORO, NJ (May 15, 2025) – The Tufts University softball team opened NCAA Tournament play with a convincing 8-1 win over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) today at Rowan University.
The Jumbos (29-13) will now play the host Profs in a winner's bracket game on Friday at 11 AM. RPI (28-12) will play an elimination game against SUNY Cortland on Friday at 1:30 PM. Rowan defeated Cortland 8-0 in six innings in today's first game at the Regional.
Tufts'
Sophia DiCocco and
Lacy Chilek allowed just three RPI hits today, and combined to retire the final 13 Engineer hitters. DiCocco earned her 17th victory going five innings allowing three hits and one run. Chilek did not allow a hit while striking out three in two relief innings.
Tufts scored in the bottom of the first after
Kaitlyn Perucci singled up the middle with one out. A second out advanced Perucci to second and she scored on an error during an infield single by
Heaven Oliva.
The Engineers tied the game 1-1 on a solo home run by Addison Shaffer to lead off the top of the second.
The Jumbos scored twice in the bottom of the second to take a lead they would not relinquish. With one out
Madi Sewell singled to left-center and then scored when
Bela Jimenez followed with a double. Perucci then singled to center scoring Jimenez and it was 3-1.
RPI would get just one hit from the third inning on, while Tufts added to its lead. The Jumbos scored three times in the fourth to lead 6-1. Sewell hit a one-out single, followed by singles from Jimenez and Perucci with Sewell scoring on an error during Perucci's hit. A
Haley Leimbach base hit and a fielder's choice by Oliva scored Jimenez and Perucci, respectively, and Tufts was in control.
The final two Tufts runs came in the fifth as the first three runners reached on a single by
Fallon O'Connor, a walk to
Lindsay Neumann and Sewell reaching by error. A line-drive sacrifice fly to right by Jimenez and a 5-6-3 ground out by Perucci scored the runs.
Jimenez finished the game 2 for3 with two runs and two rbis, while Perucci went 3 for 4 with two runs and two rbis. Sewell was 2 for 3 and scored twice, while Oiva and O'Connor both had two hits.
Ava Markert took the pitching loss for the Engineers, giving up 13 hits and six earned runs in six innings.
The victory for Tufts is the 83rd in its NCAA Tournament history.
--JUMBOS--
