WALTHAM, MA (April 22, 2026) – Tufts University's 21 hits in the second game were the team's most in a game in over 14 years as the Jumbos swept a non-conference softball doubleheader at Brandeis University on Wednesday afternoon by scores of 4-2 and 14-9.
Eight Jumbos had multiple hits in the second game, including two home runs each by junior
Heaven Oliva and
Paige Murphy. Game one featured another solid outing in the circle by Tufts first-year
Avery Kanouse.
The Jumbos improved to 25-7 with the victories, while Brandeis dropped to 18-16 overall. Tufts has won 11 straight in the series dating back to 2021.
Game 1 – Tufts 4, Brandeis 2
Tufts loaded the bases in its first at bat, as
Lauryn Horita was hit by a pitch, Oliva walked and Murphy singled to right. After an out was made on a force at home,
Haley Leimbach walked to score Horita and give Tufts a 1-0 lead. The Jumbos would score on a bases-loaded walk again in the third after Oliva and Murphy led off with singles. Murphy scored when
Mack Seibel drew a free pass with two outs.
Kanouse did not allow a hit until the fourth inning. After Katie Baydian led off the frame with a walk for the Judges, Brooke Boehmer followed with a single to center. Both were sacrificed over a base and the Judges were threatening with one out. However, Kanouse got a strike out and a pop up to end the inning. After Leimbach led off the Tufts fifth with a double, she was sacrificed to third and would score on a Brandeis error with two outs making it a 3-0 game.
The Judges closed the margin to 3-2 in the sixth as Boehmer singled again and Bells Burdinski hit a two-run home run.
The Jumbos would get one run back in the top of the seventh with opening singles by
Cat Kawabe and Seibel (bunt), a sacrifice and a run-scoring single to right by
Ella Malin. Tufts brought Fallon
O'Connor in to pitch the seventh and she worked around a two-out error to earn the save.
Kanouse reached 10 wins on the season, allowing five hits and two runs in her six innings. The save was O'Connor's second. Murphy and Malin had two hits each for Tufts.
Ragini Kagan took the loss in the circle for Brandeis (3.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R).
Game 2 – Tufts 14, Brandeis 9
The Judges took an early 2-0 lead in what would be a slugfest in game two. Jordan Wallace and Baydian both had two-out rbis, as Wallace singled home a run in the first and Baydian doubled one home in the second.
Back-to-back home runs by Oliva and Murphy got the Jumbos started in the third. Tufts had five hits in the inning, including an rbi double by Kawabe and a run-scoring single from
Ella Malin as the visitors took a 4-2 lead.
Brandeis tied the score at 4-4 in the bottom half of the third on a base hit by Maddie Manes and a sacrifice fly from Mia Deck. However, Tufts first-year reliever Francesca Colangeo got the final two outs with the bases loaded to limit the damage.
After singles by Horita and Murphy led to an rbi ground out from
Kaitlyn Perucci in the Tufts fourth, the Jumbos would take control of the game with five in the fifth.
Ella McHugh and Horita hit rbi singles, and then Oliva blasted a three-run home run – her 11th of the year – to give Tufts a 10-4 lead. Oliva's 11 bombs are the most by a Jumbo since 2017.
Burdenski led off the Brandeis fifth with her second home run of the day for a 10-5 score. The Tufts advantage grew to 11-5 when Malin doubled home a run in the top of the sixth, but Boehmer hit a three-run shot for Brandeis in the bottom of the frame that closed the Judges to within 11-8.
When Murphy homered to lead off the top of the seventh, it was the sixth home run of the game. Seibel and Malin later followed with rbi singles pushing the Tufts lead to 14-8. Brandeis closed the scoring with one in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Elle Ehrlich and a single by Deck.
The Jumbos stacked up crooked numbers throughout the game two box score with Horita (2 for 5, 2 runs, rbi), Oliva (3 for 5, 2 runs, 4 rbis), Murphy (3 for 4, 2 runs, 2 rbis), Perucci (2 for 5, run, rbi), Kawabe (3 for 5, 3 runs, rbi), Seibel (2 for 5, run, rbi), McHugh (3 for 5, run, 2 rbis) and Malin (3 for 5, run, 2 rbis) all joining the hit parade. Team game-by-game statistics prior to the 2012 season were not immediately available to determine when exactly was the last time a Tufts team had 21 hits or more in a game.
One of three Jumbo pitchers in game two, Colangelo earned the win to improve to 8-2.
Madeline Jennings started and took the loss for Brandeis (4 IP, 9 H, 4 ER). Baydian (2 for 4, run, rbi), Boehmer (2 for 2, 3 runs, 3 rbis) and Wallace (2 for 4, run, rbi) led a solid game offensively for Brandeis as well.
Next
The Jumbos welcome MIT for a non-league doubleheader at Spicer Field next Tuesday (Apr. 28).
--JUMBOS--
