Softball Faces Tough Loss in Away Series at Tufts

JUSTIN FORTIER ’18
SPORTS EDITOR
Trinity softball was knocked down in the NESCAC league standings as Tufts capped off a three-game series on Apr. 16. The Jumbos have been an incredibly dominant team in softball the past couple of years, going undefeated last season. There was some question of how the team would perform this year after the loss of their star pitcher Allison Fournier, yet they have proved skeptics wrong. Prior to this series the Bantams rested atop the NESCAC east division, roosted at the top of the competition along with Tufts. This series set the tone for the pecking order in the NESCAC, but the Bantams did not without a fight.
The first game of the series opened up on Apr. 15. The first inning was uneventful, all three Trinity players failed to make it on base with one foul out and two grounded outs. Tufts followed suit and didn’t get a hit, closing out the first inning with no hits or errors for either team. The first run of the game came for Tufts in the bottom of the second, due to a right center double from Christian Cain that drove home Raina Galbiati, who had been walked as the first batter. In the third Tufts, added an additional run from right-fielder Michelle Chisdak.
The Bantams pulled ahead in the top of the fourth, sending three players across home plate. Outfielder Erica Quinones ’16 led off the scoring, followed by Erica Merullo ’18, and shortstop Courtney Erikson ’19. In the sixth inning Tuft’s Galbiati snuck in for a run on a double play.
As the dust cleared the game moved into extra innings while the score remained at a draw. In the bottom of the eighth, the Jumbos had bases loaded and knocked second basewoman Christina Raso off a sacrifice fly. As the sun set in Medford, Massachusetts Tufts pulled away with the 4-3 win.
The double header began late morning on Apr. 16, and unfortunately for the Bantams, the final score was not as a favorable as Friday’s close matchup.
The final scores were 13-4 and 6-1 wins for the Jumbos at Spicer Field. With this Trinity’s record drops to 13-9 overall and 3-3 in the NESCAC East, while Tufts improves to 16-6 overall, notching its 57th NESCAC East game in a row.
The Bantams had a 2-0 lead in the first game, Courtney Erickson ’19 and Nicole Towner ’19 hit back-to-back RBI doubles in the top of the first. The Jumbos answered with two in the bottom of the second on run-scoring base hits by Sarah Finnigan and Samantha Siciliano. Erickson and Towner drove home runs again in the third inning, giving the Bantams a 4-2 advantage. However, the Jumbos scored four in the bottom of the third, two in the fifth, and five in the bottom of the sixth to end the game early. Michelle Treglia ’18 scored twice for Trinity.
It was a challenging series for Trinity, but it was certainly the most difficult matchup the Bantams will face in NESCAC competition. Trinity softball has proven that they do not give up in the face of adversity and have established themselves as a formidable opponent in the league.