Ephs blanked by Tufts, 7-0, at NESCAC Tournament
MIDDLETOWN, CT — Tufts University first-year Izzie Santone
hurled six shutout innings Friday as the Jumbos blanked the
Williams College softball team 7-0 on the opening day of the NESCAC
Tournament.
The Ephs fell to 19-19 with the loss and will face Wesleyan in a
loser’s bracket elimination game Saturday at 9 a.m. Tufts and
Trinity will play at 11:30. If the Ephs can get by Wesleyan, they
will face the Tufts-Trinity loser in the afternoon.
Tufts jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, scoring
two runs with two outs. Eph starter Morgan Simpson retired the
first two batters she faced before Jumbos junior Cara Hovhanessian
ripped a ground ball single up the middle. Sophomore Christy Tinker
followed by launching a two-run home run over the fence in left
field.
The Jumbos tacked on a third run in the second when Megan
Cusick and Maya Ripecky ripped back-to-back singles. After an error
loaded the bases, Tufts’ lead-off hitter Samantha Kuhles
lofted a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Cusik.
Williams put baserunners on in each of the first five frames, but
each time Santone wiggled out of trouble. In the Williams first,
Becky Sansone lined a single to center and stole second, but
Santone struck out Libby Copeland-Halperin to end the inning.
Eph senior Taryn Goodman bounced a single through the right side
with one out in the second, but a fielder’s choice and a
stike out ended that inning. In the third, Joey Lye worked a
one-out walk only to be erased on a double play grounder hit back
to Santone by Sansone.
Tufts turned another double play in the fourth after a lead-off
walk to Powers. Copeland-Halperin ripped a grounder to second, but
Danielle Lopez handled a bad hop, shuffled a throw to shortstop
Casaey Sullivan, and her relay throw to first nipped
Copeland-Halperin.
Tufts added another run in the fourth on another Kuhles’
sacrifice fly.
The Ephs’ best chance to score came in the fifth. Mary Gelber
lined a single to center to open the frame, but after a flyout, was
erased at second on a fielder’s choice grounder by Caitlyn
Cain. Lye reached on an error and Sansone grounded a single up the
middle to load the bases with two outs, but Santone induced Powers
to fly out to center field to end the threat.
The Jumbos increased their lead to 6-0 in the fifth inning. Singles
by Hovhanessian and Tinker opened the innings, and a two-out, two
run single by Cusick off Eph reliever Emily Fowler-Cornfeld
accounted for the runs.
Williams left eight baserunners on in all. Sansone was 2 for 4 for
the Ephs. Simpson took the loss, allowing eight hits over four-plus
innings while walking one and fanning one.
