Jumbo Pitching Combines on Two-Hit Shutout in 8-0 Win Against Kalamazoo

WINTER HAVEN, FL (March 23, 2023) - Pitchers Sky Johnson, Emilie Doty and Sophia DiCocco combined on a two-hit shutout as the #13 Tufts softball team remained undefeated (9-0) on its spring trip with an 8-0 win in six innings against Kalamazoo College on Thursday morning.

In the Jumbos' only game of the day, Johnson pitched two perfect innings and was credited with the win, Doty struck out six in her three innings and DiCocco finished up with a 1-2-3 sixth. The lone hits were a right-center field gap double by Hornet center fielder Lizzy Rottenberk and a single over the pitcher's head in the fourth. That gave the Hornets two runners on with one out, but Doty got the next two batters.

Tufts won by the eight-run rule for the fifth time in nine games in Florida. They got started with two more first-inning runs on back-to-back doubles by Kaitlyn Peruccci and Josie Steinberg followed by a single up the middle from Rachel Moore. They added another run in the second, manufactured by first-year Lauryn Hortia who singled, took second and third on ground balls and scored on a wild pitch.

Doty struck out the side in her first inning (the third). Tufts' bats then made it 5-0 in the fourth as Horita walked, went to third on a double by Emma Jacobson and scored on a single from Kat Yuzefpolsky. First-year Haley Leimbach then doubled home Yuzefpolsky.

Kalamazoo had two runners on with one out in the fourth, but Doty got out of it with a ground ball back at her and a fly to center. Jumbo pinch-hitter Lindsay Neumann then hit a two-run single in the fifth and Perucci doubled home a run in the sixth for the 8-0 final.

Leimbach, Perucci, Steinberg and Moore all had two hits for the Jumbos, while Horita along with Steinberg scored twice. 

Jordan Cook was Kalamazoo's losing pitcher, absorbing 13 hits and eight runs in six innings.

In their two games tomorrow, Tufts plays #24 Wisconsin-Oshkosh which entered Thursday's action also unbeaten at 14-0 and a Luther College team that is receiving votes in the national poll and was 14-2 entering Thursday's action.