Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 MEDFORD, Mass. – All six seniors on the Tufts University softball team registered at least one hit during a two-win day against Bates on Senior Day Sunday at Spicer Field in Medford, Massachusetts.
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| Amolee Hawkins earned her first collegiate win on the mound in Game 2. |
The Jumbos (20-14, 8-4 in NESCAC East Division) concluded their 2017 conference schedule, defeating the Bobcats (10-18, 1-11 in East Division), 3-1, during the opening game, and then cruised to a 14-1 triumph in a five-inning affair during Game 2.
The Jumbos' senior class brought the program to new heights, including hoisting back-to-back NCAA Division III national titles in 2014 and 2015.
The group was exceptional on Sunday, as right fielder Maggie Hoffman (4-for-6, four singles, three runs scored, two RBIs), captain Carrie Copacino (3-for-6, three singles, four runs scored), first baseman Summer Horowitz (2-for-6, two singles, two RBIs, two runs scored), captain Cassie Ruscz (3-for-4, home run, two singles, four RBIs, three runs scored), Shelby Lipson (single, run scored) and captain Marly Becker (single, run scored) all starred in the victories.
During the Game 1 triumph, the Jumbos did all their damage in the third frame, attacking the scoreboard with a trio of runs. Copacino led off with a single through the left side. The speedy Copacino ended up crossing home plate two at-bats later, as junior catcher Raven Fournier connected on an RBI single to left-center. Horowitz kept the Jumbos on track, knocking an RBI single up the middle, plating Fournier from second, and then Horowitz ended the rally, crossing home on an RBI single to left-center by freshman third baseman Jamie Stevens.
The Jumbos were in good hands at that point, as freshman pitcher Gillian O'Connor (9-5) continues to thrive on the mound. O'Connor's durability in her rookie season has been impressive, as she earned a complete-game win, allowing five hits and one run, but the run was unearned. The Montgomery, New Jersey, native struck out four and walked one, while retiring seven consecutive batters, ranging from the first to the third.
The Bobcats, who were led offensively by a 2-for-4 performance (two singles) fron sophomore Andrea Russo, trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth on an unearned run by senior captain Maddie Inlow. Freshman hurler Kirsten Pelletier (6-10) was strong on the mound, working six innings, as she gave up three runs on eight hits.
The Jumbos' bats erupted in Game 2, as even the first-inning rainfall could not slow them down. Ruscz was firing on all cylinders in the contest, belting her conference-leading 11th homer of the season during the third, while going 2-for-2 in the box with four RBIs and three runs scored.
The Wolcott, Connecticut, native now has 55 career homers, putting her second in the program's record books, while her 210 career RBIs also rank second.
Hoffman chipped in with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, to go along with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs, while sophomore pitcher Amolee Hawkins (1-0) earned her first collegiate win on the mound. She worked four innings, giving up one runs on four hits, as she struck out four and walked three.
Inlow led the way for the Bobcats in Game 2, going 2-for-3, with a pair of singles. Russo opened the scoring for the Bobcats in the first, scoring on an error, which occurred during a single to center field by freshman Julia Treadwell.
The Jumbos took a 3-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame, with Stevens tally an RBI walk, and then Hoffman and Ruscz ended up crossing home with two unearned runs.
The Jumbos added another five runs in the second, as the rally got underway with a one-out, two-run double by Fournier to center. Two at-bats later, Ruscz squeezed an RBI single up the middle, and then sophomore shortstop Christian Cain ended the rally two at-bats later with a two-run double to right.
The Jumbos completely ran away with the contest in the third, as Horowitz tallied an RBI single through the left side with one down. Next up was Ruscz and she blasted a three-run shot to right-center, giving the hosts a 12-1 advantage.
The Jumbos scored a pair in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run single to right by Hoffman, and then freshman pitcher Maria Ostapovich closed the door in the fifth, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk.
The Jumbos will conclude their 2017 regular-season schedule on Tuesday, as they will host Wheaton (Mass.) during doubleheader action at Spicer Field in Medford, Massachusetts, starting at 3:30 p.m.
Written by Trevor Wenners, Athletic Communications Intern
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