MEDFORD, MA (May 16, 2026) – Middlebury College sophomore Emily Ye pitched a five-hit shutout to lead the Panther softball team to a 5-0 victory that ended Tufts University's season in the NCAA Regional Game 5 at Spicer Field on Saturday.

The Jumbos had base runners in every inning except one, but could not score and were eliminated from the double-elimination tournament. Tufts finished the season with a 31-12 record.

Middlebury (35-10) advanced to the championship round of the NCAA Regional against Muhlenberg College and lost Game 6 to the Mules 7-5. Muhlenberg advances to the Super Regionals against Trine University next week.

The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first against Tufts first-year starter Sarah Brody today. McKenna Lont led off with a walk and then Kristyn Carroll and Olivia Fleming singled to load the bases. Sarah LaFond delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle.

Lauryn Horita doubled in Tufts' first at-bat, followed by a one-out single from Paige Murphy. A ground out moved the runners to second and third, but Ye got a fly ball to end the inning. That would set the tone for the day.

Middlebury upped the margin to 5-0 in the top of the third. Livy Schultz's one-out double put runners on second and third. LaFond's rbi single through the left side and a Tufts error brought home the three runs for the Panthers.

Ye would strand Jumbo runners on second and third again in the bottom of the third, and would leave eight Tufts runners on base overall. She allowed just one hit from the fourth inning on, and pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh to end it.

Tufts' Francesca Colangelo did a nice job in relief for the Jumbos, allowing three hits and no runs in four innings.

Ye improved to 5-3 with the victory. LaFond led the Panther bats, going 2 for 4 with three runs batted in. Carroll and Fleming both had two hits as well.

Murphy and Colangelo were named to the All-Tournament Team for Tufts. Murphy had two of the Jumbos' five hits against Ye today.

Senior Kaitlyn Perucci, who became the Tufts' career hits leader on Thursday, broke the Jumbos' all-time doubles record today with her 54th in the bottom of the third.