Box Score LEWISTON, ME - Junior DP Cassie Ruscz hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and had six rbis as the Tufts softball team won its 58th straight game in NESCAC East Division play 9-0 at Bates College on Friday.
The Jumbos, who have already clinched their 12th consecutive NESCAC East pennant, improved to 10-0 in the division and won their 20th game overall (20-7). The host Bobcats remained winless in the division (0-7) and dropped to 3-24 overall.
Ruscz's two home runs give her 10 on the season and four in the three days after she hit two at Endicott in the second game of a double-header on Wednesday. She had not homered since returning from the team's spring trip to Florida with six. After battling a nagging injury, the 2015 All-American appears to have found her stroke as the post-season approaches.
The grand slam by Ruscz's gave Tufts a 6-0 lead in the top of the second. Christina Raso (double), Carrie Copacino (single), and Raven Fournier (walk) were on base.
Sophomore Raina Galbiati continued her streak of fine pitching for the Jumbos by earning the win allowing just three hits and no runs with five strikeouts and no walks in six innings. She also hit a two-run single to put Tufts on the board in the top of the first.
The 6-0 score remained until the sixth inning as Bates pitchers Sam Fellers and Kylie Martin limited the Jumbos to no runs and one hit in the third through fifth innings.
The Jumbos struck for three runs in the sixth however. Raso (3 for 4, 2 runs) led off with a triple and scored on a groundout by Copacino. Pinch-hitter Sarah Finnigan then singled and scored on Ruscz's two-run home run making it 9-0.
Maddie Inlow hit a two-out double in the bottom of the sixth for Bates, and then a Tufts error put runners on first and third. Galbiati nailed down the run-rule victory though with a groundball out to third.
Copacino went 2 for 4 and scored twice with an rbi for Tufts, who had 11 hits. Fournier also scored twice while Ruscz ended up 2 for 4 with two runs and the six rbis.
Inlow was 3 for 3, recording all of Bates' hits in the game.
The teams will play a double-header tomorrow starting at noon.
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