AMHERST, MA (April 11, 2026) – An eighth-inning home run by
Heaven Oliva in Game 1 helped Tufts to an 8-5 victory, then
Kaitlyn Perucci hit a grand slam in Game 2 which led the Jumbos to a 9-3 win in a NESCAC double-header sweep at Amherst College on Saturday afternoon.
The Jumbos improve to 19-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference, while Amherst falls to 7-13 and 3-5 NESCAC.
Game 1 – Tufts 8, Amherst 5 (8 inn.).
For the second straight Saturday, Oliva hit an extra-inning home run that helped the Jumbos earn a victory. Last week it was in the 10th inning at Colby College, and today with one out in the eighth she hit a solo shot leading to a three-run inning for the Jumbos in an 8-5 win.
Tufts had led 5-0 going into the bottom of the seventh, but the host Mammoths came all the way back to tie the game at 5-5. With two outs and the bases loaded, back-to-back walks earned by Emma Nordstrom and Lauren Ro brought in Amherst's first two runs of the game. Brooke Wild followed with an rbi single, then Lulu Leppard hit a two-run single and the game was tied. However, Leppard tried to take second on the play and was thrown out by Oliva with Wild on third as the potential game-winning run.
After Oliva's home run put Tufts back in front in the top of the eighth, Perucci's fourth hit of the game one, and then an rbi double by
Lauryn Horita and a run-scoring single from
Cat Kawabe made it 8-5. Amherst would bring the tying run to the late in the bottom of the eighth, but Tufts first-year pitcher
Sarah Brody got the final out and Tufts won.
The Jumbos had taken a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Perucci led off with a double to deep left field and scored when Kawabe lined a single to center. The Jumbos left the bases loaded though, after having runners on second and third with one out.
Perucci (4 for 5, 3 runs, rbi in game one) then helped Tufts take the lead to 2-0 in the top of the third.
Paige Murphy doubled with one out to right field and came across on Perucci's rbi single up the middle.
Tufts left the bases loaded in the fourth, but were able to take advantage of that situation in the fifth. Perucci and Horita both hit one-out singles and a two-out walk by
Mack Seibel loaded the bases.
Ella McHugh poked a single through the left side scoring Perucci, then
Ella Malin dropped a double into no-man's land in shallow center scoring Horita and Seibel and Tufts led 5-0.
First-year starter
Avery Kanouse took a shutout into the bottom of the seventh, but the game unraveled for the Jumbos. She gave way to classmate
Francesca Colangelo in the circle, who surrendered the game-tying hits before Oliva threw out Leppard at second. However, with Tufts' three runs in the eighth, Colangelo was credited with the victory and Brody earned a save.
The Jumbos had 16 hits in the game, as joining Perucci to lead the way were Kawabe (3 for 4, 2 rbis), McHugh (3 for 4, rbi) and Horita (2 for 5, 2 runs, rbi). In addition to her home run and throwing out Leppard trying to advance in the seventh, Oliva also threw out two Amherst runners trying to steal.
Wild and Samantha Portz both had two hits in game one for Amherst. Annie Katuska took the pitching loss (3 IP, 6 H, 3 R).
Game 2 – Tufts 9, Amherst 3
A seven-run fourth inning including the Perucci grand slam led the way to the sweep for the Jumbos. Amherst had led 3-1 through three full.
The Mammoths got out to a 1-0 lead after two were out in the bottom of the first. Abby Moravek doubled home Wild, who had reached on a fielder's choice and stole second.
The Jumbos manufactured a run to tie the score in the top of the second. Horita led off with a line-drive single back at the pitcher. She took second on a walk, went to third on an Amherst error during a bunt and then scored on a wild pitch.
The Mammoths regained the lead with two runs after two were out in the bottom of the second, helped by two Tufts errors. Abby Kong started it with a walk and advanced to third on a Tufts error during a Lauren Ro infield hit. Kong then scored on Wild's single to left. Ro would come across on another infield hit and error, giving the hosts a 3-1 advantage.
The Jumbos would send 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth. They took a 4-3 lead after loading the bases on a Horita single, a walk by Kawabe and a hit-by-pitch of
Erin Hersh. Horita scored on a single up the middle by McHugh, Kawabe came home on a wild pitch and Hersh scored on a ground out. Perucci then crushed her grand slam to left, her second grand slam of the season, and suddenly the margin was 8-3 Jumbos.
Brody came on in relief in the bottom of the fourth and would retire 10 of the 12 batters she faced and was credited with the victory. On her first batter, she started a 1-3-2 double play by the Jumbos that caught Ro trying to score to end the inning.
Tufts would add a run in the sixth as Perucci concluded her outstanding day with a double that scored
Paige Murphy, who reached by fielder's choice. In the two games, Perucci was 6 for 9 (.667) with two doubles, the grand slam, six runs batted in and four runs scored. Horita also had a good day, going 3 for 3 with two runs in game two to finish 5 for 8 (.625) with four runs and an rbi in the doubleheader.
Amherst outhit Tufts 11-9 in the nightcap, with Ro going 3 for 4 with a run to lead the way. Gwen Religa allowed five hits and eight runs (seven earned) in 3.2 innings to take the loss in the circle.
Next
The Jumbos come home and host Trinity College in a NESCAC doubleheader tomorrow at Spicer Field starting at 1 PM.
--JUMBOS--
