MEDFORD, Mass. – The MIT softball team came from behind and held off a late rally to take game one from No. 11 Tufts, 6-3, but the Jumbos came away with a game two win, 6-4, as the teams split a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon at Spicer Field.
THE BASICS:
- Scores:
- Game 1: MIT 6, Tufts 3
- Game 2: Tufts 6, MIT 4
- Records: MIT (27-7 Overall); No. 11 Tufts (26-8 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME ONE:
- Arianna Kumar singled with two-outs in the top of the first and came around to score on a double from Lauren Sundquist. The Jumbos were quick to answer as a two-run homer from Kaitlyn Perucci gave the hosts a 2-1 lead.
- The Engineers scored four runs in the third to go up 5-2. An RBI single from Ava Ladd plated Delaney Benevides and Holland Poe gave the Engineers the lead with a three-run shot to rightfield.
- The Jumbos put together four-straight two-out singles to plate their third run of the game, but Emily Watson got Haley Leimbach to ground out to short and leave the bases loaded.
- Heaven Oliva singled to lead off the seventh Leimbach hit a two-out single to get the tying run to the plate, but Watson got Cat Kawabe to pop out to end the game.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Watson threw her sixth complete game to improve to 9-1. She allowed just the three runs and surrendered no walks.
- Poe led MIT going 3-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Ladd and Maggie Feng also had multi-hit games for MIT.
- Lauryn Horita, Oliva, and Perucci all had two hits for the Jumbos.
- Avery Kanouse fell to 10-3 as she threw 2.2 innings allowing five runs on five hits with one walk and one strikeout.
- Layla Thiessen recorded her 100th career hit with her single in the fourth.
HOW IT HAPPENED GAME TWO:
- Tufts jumped out to a 4-0 lead, using an Oliva homer in the first and a two-RBI double from Horita and an RBI single from Paige Murphy.
- Olivia Scarpaci led off the third with a double and Feng followed with a double to cut the Jumbos lead to 4-1. Feng then scored on a throwing error to cut the Tufts' lead in half.
- The Engineers took advantage of three Tufts errors in the fifth to tie the game at four.
- Oliva got an RBI single in the sixth to give the Jumbos the lead, and the hosts added an insurance run on a fielder's choice from Murphy to make it 6-4. Tufts got MIT in order in the seventh to earn the DH split.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Feng and Benevides led MIT with two hits each in game two.
- Sharona Huang falls to 10-3 as she threw four innings of five-hit ball allowing two runs (one earned) with no walks and one strikeout. Sarah Blackett threw the first two innings, allowing four runs (two earned) with five hits, one walk, and one strikeout.
- Sarah Brody (W, 9-3) threw a complete game, giving up one earned run on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
UP NEXT:
- The Engineers return to NEWMAC play on Friday, May 1 as they travel to Smith for a doubleheader with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 PM.
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