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Box Score 2 LEWISTON, Maine – The Tufts University softball team (12-2, 7-1) launched four home runs as part of their 34 hits in a double-header sweep of Bates College (1-7, 1-3) in New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East play on Sunday afternoon. The Jumbos won the games 8-2 and 16-9.
In game one, the Jumbos jumped on the board in the top of the first inning. Sophomore Michelle Adelman singled to lead off the game and quickly stole second. She then advanced to third on a groundout by sophomore Kat Yuzefpolsky. Senior Mia Steinberg drove Adelman home on a sacrifice fly, giving Tufts a 1-0 lead. Junior Nicole Russo then led off the second inning with a home run which doubled the Jumbo lead and they were off and running. That was her second big fly of the season.
Tufts added a third run in the fourth inning after sophomore Rachel Moore reached on a base hit through the left side and then quickly stole second. She advanced to third on a fly out by senior Emma Della Volpe and scored on Adelman's bloop single down the right field line. The Jumbos threatened to add more in the inning as Yuzefpolsky and Steinberg reached, but Adelman got caught in a rundown and was thrown out at the plate.
The Jumbos threatened again in the fifth inning, but could not push across a run with runners on second and third. However, in the sixth inning they would capitalize as Della Volpe and Adelman reached with hits before Della Volpe scored on a wild pitch. Yuzefplosky drove in Adelman with a sacrifice fly, which extended the lead to 5-0. Tufts added their third run of the inning on a fielder's choice as Steinberg scored on a ball put in play by Casey Maggiore.
While the bats were hot for Tufts, senior Kristina Haghdan had a perfect game bid that was broken up by Kama Boswell as she was hit by a pitch to lead off the sixth. Haghdan's no-hitter bid was broken up by Cassidy Musco after 5.1 innings. Caroline Bass managed to reach on an error which pushed across the first run for Bates. Lindsey Kim also reached on an error which made the score 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth.
Tufts added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning on a two-rbi double by Yuzefpolsky which made the score 8-2.
Haghdan (7 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 H, 11 K) improves to 4-1 on the season. Bates' Danielle Polirer (6 IP, 6 R, 5 ER, 12 H, 0 K) falls to 1-2. Payton Buxton (1 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 2 K) made her fifth appearance from the circle for the hosts.
Yuzefpolsky led the Tufts offense with three RBIs. Adelman tallied three hits and scored twice. Sophomore Josie Steinberg, Russo, senior Reegan Coleman, and Moore all had two hits each.
Tufts built an early lead to start game two as well. Adelman singled to open the contest and then stole second. She advanced to third on a wild pitch as Yuzefpolsky walked. Yuzefpolsky stole second to put runners on second and third. Russo ripped a single to right field to score Adelman. Maggiore reached on a fielder's choice, but Yusefpolsky was thrown out at home. Coleman walked and the fourth ball was a wild pitch which allowed Russo to score and give the Jumbos a 2-0 lead at the close of their half of the first inning.
The Bobcats threatened in the bottom half of the opening frame as they loaded the bases, but Tufts senior starter Kristi Van Meter worked out of the jam. The Jumbos responded with momentum from getting out the jam by posting 10 runs in the top of the second inning. Two home runs in the inning pushed across seven of the runs as Russo hit her second home run on the day and third of the season for three rbis before Della Volpe launched a grand slam. That made the score 12-0. Tufts sent 15 hitters to the plate in the frame.
Bates had a huge inning of their own with nine runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, starting with Musco getting the Bobcats' first hit of the game. That was followed by a pair of walks to load the bases. Mary Collette singled to score Musco and another pair of walks made the score 12-3. Jevan Sandhu singled home two more runs. A third pair of walks pushed home a sixth run. Then a bases loaded single by Janell Sato and a wild pitch set up Rachel Liazos for an rbi single which made the score 12-9 through five. The Bobcat inning featured 13 batters.
The Jumbos responded in the sixth inning as sophomore Emma Jacobson and Della Volpe singled to start it. Adelman singled and an error in the field allowed both runners to score. Freshman Lexi Grein followed that with a two-run home run, which gave Tufts a 16-9 lead at the close of their half of the sixth. That is Grein's first career home run.
The Bobcats managed to get runners on base in the final frame, but freshman Sophia DiCocco closed out the contest for Tufts.
Van Meter, Russo, senior Cassie Cancemi and DiCocco all pitched for the Jumbos with DiCocco receiving the win by scorer's decision to improve to 7-1 on the season. Sandhu falls to 0-2 in the circle for the Bobcats.
Adelman, Russo, Jacobson, and Della Volpe all had three hits each for the Jumbos, leading Tufts' 20-hit game-two attack. Russo and Della Volpe had four rbis eachl while Adelman, Jacobson and Della Volpe all scored three times. Liazos had two hits for Bates.
Tufts returns to action on Sunday, May 2 when they host Brandeis in a non-conference doubleheader. Bates heads to Bowdoin for a NESCAC East double-header on Saturday.
