MEDFORD, MA (May 3, 2026) – For the fourth straight year, the Tufts University softball team has earned the #1 seed in NESCAC after the Jumbos scored a pair of late comeback victories today to sweep a conference doubleheader at home against Williams College.

Three runs in the bottom of the sixth led Tufts to a 4-3 victory over the Ephs in game one, and then six runs in the bottom of the sixth in game two helped the Jumbos take a 9-6 win.

Head coach Lauren Ebstein's Jumbos will be the #1 seed in next weekend's (May 8-10) NESCAC Championship hosted by Bowdoin College. This is the first season in which the tournament is being played at a predetermined site. The top-seeded Jumbos will play #8 seed Wesleyan University in the quarterfinals on Friday at 1:30 PM.

The Jumbos finished the regular-season at 29-9 overall, and won NESCAC with a 14-4 record. Williams finished 22-16 and 11-7 in the conference, and will be the #5 seed in the tournament.

Game 1 – Tufts 4, Williams 3

The game could not have started much worse for the Jumbos, as they let an easy foul pop-up drop and committed two errors in the top of the first inning helping the Ephs score twice. However, the Jumbos would pull through in the end.

With the help of Tufts' miscues, Williams took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first hit with Sidney Miller bringing home one run with a bunt single and a Dani Jackman single to center scoring the other.

Eph senior ace Sadie Leonard blanked Tufts for three innings until Paige Murphy doubled to center with two outs. After taking third on a wild pitch, Murphy scored on Kaitlyn Perucci's single to bring Tufts within 2-1.

First-year Avery Kanouse overcame the first frame and blanked Williams from the second through the sixth innings.

The Jumbos' sixth-inning rally started with Lauryn Horita's one-out walk. After a wild pitch and a single by Heaven Oliva, Horita smartly scored on Murphy's groundout to first base. The inning continued when Perucci singled home a run and took second on an Eph error. Leimbach then dropped a single into left-center scoring Perucci and Tufts led 4-2.

After Alysa DeQuiroz singled to lead off the Williams seventh, Tufts went to Fallon O'Connor in relief. The Ephs got a run home on a base hit by Justine Dunaway, but O'Connor recorded the final two outs including a strikeout to end the game with the tying and go-ahead runs on second and third.

Kanouse earned her 11th win of the season, giving up seven hits and no earned runs in six innings. O'Connor picked up her third save. Perucci finished 2 for 3 with two runs batted in and a run.

Leonard allowed six hits and four runs (three earned) in 5.2 innings while taking the loss. The Ephs out-hit Tufts 9-7, including Dunaway going 3 for 3 with an rbi and Miller at 2 for 4 with an rbi.

Game 2 – Tufts 9, Williams 6

The Jumbos' sixth-inning rally in the second game saw them score six runs after two were out to turn a 6-3 deficit into a 9-6 lead. Consecutive singles by Ella McHugh, Ella Malin (rbi), Horita, Oliva (rbi) and Murphy (rbi) tied the game at 6-6. After Perucci walked to load the bases, Leimbach singled down the right-field line scoring all three runs to give Tufts the 9-6 advantage.

Williams got two on with two outs in the top of the seventh against Jumbo first-year Francesca Colangelo, but she got a pop up to end the game.

Tufts had taken a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the second, also scoring their runs after two were out. A pair of rbi singles by Malin and Oliva sandwiched around a Williams error that allowed a run to score put the Jumbos out front.

Not for long though, as Williams would score four times in the top of the third. Miller, Dunaway, Dani Jackman and Aleks Albert had run-scoring singles for the Ephs, who took a 4-3 lead.

The visitors would add a pair of runs in the fifth and lead 6-3. Singles by Haley Barrett and DeQuiroz and a wild pitch led to an rbi fielder's choice from Miller and a sacrifice fly for Dunaway to score the runs.

Colangelo finished out the game with three scoreless innings, earning the win to improve to 9-3 (4 IP, 6 H, 2 R). The Jumbos had 13 hits, led by three each from Oliva (4-1-3-2) and Malin (3-2-3-2).

Katie Branch took the pitching loss for Williams (5.2 IP, 12 H, 6 ER). DeQuiroz finished game two 2 for 3 with two runs, while Miller went 2 for 3 with two rbis and a run. Jackman also had two hits.

Next

The Jumbos will challenge for their 14th NESCAC title and second in a row next weekend at Bowdoin.