SEGUIN, TX (March 15, 2026) – The Tufts University softball team started its spring break week in Texas on Sunday with a neutral-site double-header against Bethel University at Texas Lutheran University's Ed Kruse Stadium - Morck Softball Field. The Jumbos and Royals split the pair of games, with Tufts winning the first 6-1 and the Royals taking the second 2-1.
Tufts received two solid outings from first-year pitchers
Avery Kanouse and Sarah Broady. Three-run home runs by sophomore
Cat Kawabe and
Heaven Oliva powered Tufts (6-2) to the game-one win, but the Royals (2-6) walked off with a win in the bottom of the seventh in game two to earn the split.
Game 1 – Tufts 6, Bethel 3
Kawabe and Oliva hit three-run home runs in back-to-back innings, and Kanouse took a no-hitter into the seventh inning as Tufts won the opener 6-3.
Playing as the home team, Tufts took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third on Kawabe's three-run shot. First-year
Paige Murphy who singled and first-year
Mack Seibel who reached by error were on base in front of Kawabe, who hit her first homer of the year with one out in the frame.
Oliva followed with her three-run home run in the third inning, scoring senior
Kaitlyn Perucci (hit by a pitch) and senior
Lauryn Horita (walk). The home run was Oliva's third of the season through seven games.
Meanwhile, Kanouse retired the first 10 batters until a walk in the top of the fourth. She held the Royals without a hit until Sidney Bartels had an infield single with one out in the seventh. Another base hit by Camryn Thurow and a Tufts error led to a two-run single by Greta Stanek. A fielder's choice by Bethel's Julia Helget scored another run until Kanouse got the final out with a strikeout.
Kanouse improved to 3-0 on the season, allowing the three hits and two earned runs in seven innings. Senior Haley Leimach had three of Tufts' seven hits from her spot at the top of the order.
Dominique Walicke took the pitching loss for the Royals (6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER).
Game 2 – Bethel 2, Tufts 1
Bethel's Bartels hit a bases-loaded single to left field in the bottom of the seventh to score the game-winning run in the Royals' 2-1 victory. A single by Brianna Tix and walks to Abby Otterness and Mandalyn Franks had set the stage.
Tufts' Brody and Bethel's Tix both pitched four scoreless innings to start, though both had to strand runners to do so. Brody left two runners on in the first and stranded the bases loaded in the third, while Tix left two on in both the second and third innings.
The Jumbos, playing as the visiting team in Game 2, struck first in the top of the fifth. Red-hot senior
Haley Leimbach singled with two outs and scored on a double by first-year
Paige Murphy. Tufts would load the bases from there, but could not get another run across.
Bethel tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on back-to-back, one-out doubles by Otterness and Franks. Brody stranded Franks on third by getting a strikeout to end the inning.
In the top of the seventh, Tufts' Murphy reached by error and stole second. However, Tix left her there and then started the Royal rally to win the game in the bottom of the frame.
Tufts finished with five hits, two from Horita. The loss is the first for Brophy, who gave up seven hits and two runs.
Otterness was 3 for 3 at the top of the Bethel batting order. Tix had two hits and was the winning pitcher (7 IP, 5 H, 1 R).
Next
The Jumbos will play two at Trinity University (Texas) on Tuesday starting at 5:00 PM. The Tigers will enter the double-header with a 10-3-1 record.
--JUMBOS--
