BRUNSWICK, ME (May 10, 2026) – The top-seeded Tufts University softball team was eliminated from the 2026 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Tournament by #5 seed Williams College, 8-7, in a semifinal game at Bowdoin College on Sunday morning.

After the Jumbos scored four times in the top of the sixth to tie the game at 7-7, Williams scored in the bottom of the sixth and then retired Tufts 1-2-3 in the top of the seventh to record the victory.

Tufts falls to 30-10 overall, but remains likely to earn an NCAA Tournament berth and possibly host a Regional when the national field is announced on Monday morning. Williams (24-16) moves on to the NESCSAC Championship Game later today against the winner of today's semifinal between #2 seed Middlebury College and #3 seed Colby College.

The Jumbos trailed Williams 7-3 entering the sixth inning. They loaded the bases with two outs and Heaven Oliva cleared them with a single to center and an error on the play. Paige Murphy followed with a double inside the foul line in right field scoring pinch-runner Emma Wingate to tie the score at 7-7.

In the bottom of the sixth against Tufts first-year reliever Sarah Brody, Williams' Avane Rokugawa led off with a walk. She would advance to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Alysa DeQuiroz, just beating the tag. Sidney Miller then doubled to right-center scoring Rokugawa for an 8-7 Ephs lead. In the Tufts seventh, Eph Katie Branch, who had come on in relief of starter Sadie Leonard, retired the Tufts side on five pitches to close out the victory.

The Jumbos had taken a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Lauryn Horita led off with a walk and was sacrificed to second by Murphy. With two outs, Kaitlyn Perucci singled to center scoring the run.

The Ephs would rally with two outs in the bottom of the second to tie the score. Annabella Rychetsky worked a two-out walk and Branch followed with an rbi double to straight-away center field scoring Rychetsky.
The Jumbos staged their own two-out rally in the third to jump back ahead. Murphy lined a double up the right-center field gap, and then Perucci came through again, blasting a two-run home run to left putting the Jumbos ahead 3-1. The home run was just the second allowed by Williams' Leonard all season.

However, Williams loaded bases and scored four times before an out was made in the bottom of the third. They would score six times in the inning overall. Rokugawa led off with a double, followed by a Tufts error and a walk. Miller singled home Rokugawa, and Tufts went to the bullpen for first-year Francesca Colangelo in relief of first-year starter Avery Kanouse. Eph Dani Jackman launched a bases-clearing double giving Williams a 5-3 lead. Dunaway would score on an infield out and the Ephs took a 6-3 advantage to the fourth.

Tufts would get runners to second and third with no outs to start the fourth, but did not score. The Ephs then added to their margin in the bottom of the frame following a lead-off walk to Lauren Davis. A single from DeQuiroz moved Davis to second and she scored on a single up the middle by Dunaway.

Perucci was 2 for 4 with three runs batted in and a run scored for the Jumbos. She moved within one hit of tying the Jumbo career hits record with 239. Murphy went 2 for 3 with a run and an rbi, while Horita scored twice. Brody took the loss for Tufts, falling to 9-4.

Williams' Dunaway finished 2 for 4 with two rbis and a run, while Blanch was 2 for 3 with an rbi in addition to earning the pitching victory (1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R). Rokugawa scored twice.