MEDFORD, Mass. – A tough matchup with the nation's top-ranked Tufts softball team resulted in a pair of non-conference losses for Endicott as the Gulls were no-hit by Jumbos senior All-American Allyson Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) in a 5-0 defeat in game one before battling to a 4-2 loss in game.
Endicott (15-16, 11-4 CCC) finishes off their final CCC contest, the conclusion of game two of a rained out doubleheader with Roger Williams, on Friday, April 24th. Play will resume at 3:00 p.m. in the top of the second with Endicott trailing 1-0.
Tufts (31-0, 9-0 NESCAC) continues their undefeated season on Thursday at home with a pair of non-conference games against Rhode Island College starting at 3:00 p.m.
Game One: Tufts 5, Endicott 0
Fournier improved to 18-0 on the year as the senior struck out 18 batters as she allowed no hits and walked none but managed to hit Endicott freshman Casie Beauchemin (Lincoln, R.I.) to ruin the perfect game in the top of sixth. For Fournier, it was her 15th career no-hitter.
Tufts' offense came courtesy of a 2-for-4 day at the plate by Jumbos second baseman Christina Raso (Burlington, Mass.) who drove in two runs and scored once herself. Raso doubled home a run in a four-run bottom of the third and later singled in Stephanie Tercero (Pasadena, Calif.) in the bottom of the sixth to cap off the scoring at 5-0. Tercero had three hits in the game to lead all players.
In the four-run bottom of the third after Raso's RBI double, Tufts sophomore Shelby Lipson (East Brunswick, N.J.) hit a popup to the second baseman that allowed the speedy Raso to score from third. A defensive miscue for the Gulls also led to two runs as a batted ball by Marissa Heyer (Emerson, N.J.) to left field allowed two unearned runs to score.
Endicott senior pitcher Meg Donegan (Atkinson, N.H.) suffered the loss (1-2) as she allowed five runs, three earned, on 10 hits while striking out three.
Game Two: Tufts 4, Endicott 2
A two-RBI single to left center off the bat of Gulls sophomore Lindsee Allienello (East Providence, R.I.) plated Beauchemin and junior catcher Emily Hoffman (Malden, Mass.) to tie the game up at 2-2 in the top of the third after Tufts had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run shot by Michelle Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.).
Tufts would regain the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a Raina Galbiati (Boulder, Colo.) RBI single followed by a sacrifice fly to center by Tercero to put the Jumbos back up by two.
Gulls sophomore pitcher Leigh Wyman (South Freeport, Maine) retired Tufts in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings to give the offense a chance to respond. Endicott would put runners on the corners with two outs thanks to hits in inning by Allienello and freshman Danielle Stratton (Agawam, Mass.) but Jumbos starter Eric County (Arlington, Mass.) escaped the jam by forcing a groundout back to the circle.
County would improve to 12-0 on the year after throwing seven complete innings and allowing two earned runs on nine hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Allienello and Stratton each had two hits off of County.
Wyman (1-8) suffered the loss despite the quality outing, going six innings with four earned runs allowed on five hits and three walks.
