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Date: May 4, 2003
Contact: Bill Sodoma

 

Colby softball falls to Williams; Tufts wins title

WATERVILLE, Maine --

The Tufts University softball team won its third straight New England Small College Athletic Conference Softball Championship after taking a 4-1 win over Williams College in Game 7 of the tournament at Colby College's Crafts Field on Sunday.

For the first time in the three-year history of the double-elimination tourney, there was a deciding seventh game played. Williams forced the final game with a 2-1 win over Tufts in Game 6 earlier Sunday.

The Jumbos (25-11) advance to play in the NCAA Division III Tournament. Williams finishes the season at 17-16.

Tufts only had three hits in the game and all came in the four-run fourth inning. With two players intentionally walked before her, junior Julie Fox (Willow Springs, Ill.) smacked a bases clearing double to give the Jumbos a 3-1 lead. Maggie McClory (Melrose, Mass.) added an RBI single that brought in Laura Spring (Sutton, Mass.), who was running for Fox.

Williams had gone ahead 1-0 in the top of the fourth after Alana Frost (Oakland, Calif.) doubled and was brought in by an RBI single by Katherine Baldwin (Yantic, Conn.).

Tufts second baseman Deana Davidian (Pelham, N.Y.) did not have a hit in the game, but she did set a NESCAC tournament record with eight hits in the tourney.

Williams pitcher Clara Hard (Seattle, Wash.) pitched both games Sunday for the Ephs. She had three strikeouts and one walk while allowing five hits in the 2-1 win over Tufts in the first game Sunday.

Liz Gluck (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) had an RBI groundout that brought in Baldwin in the second inning. Baldwin then drove in the eventual game-winning run with an RBI single that scored Kristen Massimiano (Pittsfield, Mass.) in the fourth inning.

Lis Drake (Chelmsford, Mass.), who had earlier singled, scored on a wild pitch in the seventh inning for Tufts.

Williams got to the two games with Tufts by beating Colby in an elimination game in the first contest Sunday morning. Baldwin and Colby's Lauren Olmsted (Lexington, Mass.) put on pitchers duel in the Ephs' 1-0 victory. Baldwin allowed six hits, struck out three and walked two. Olmsted gave up three hits, was not charged with the lone run and at one point retired 13 straight batters. She finished the season with a 1.15 earned run average in nearly 80 innings and allowed just eight earned runs to Division III teams.

Frost got on by an error in the first inning and then later scored on a bloop double by Kerri McMahon (Denville, N.J.).

Annette Caswell (Bucksport, Maine) had a triple in her two hits for Colby (12-13).

Sunday's games (all at Colby College)

Game 7: Tufts 4, Williams 1

Williams 000#100#0----1#4#0

Tufts 000#400#x-----4#3#0

Clara Hard (L, 4-4) and Mary Baccash. Caroline Grieco (W, 9-3) and Lis Drake. 2B: Alana Frost (W), Mary Baccash (W), Julie Fox (T), Nikki Blotner (T).Game 6: Williams 2, Tufts 1

Tufts 000#000#1----1#5#1

Williams 010#100#x-----2#5#0

Julia Brenta (L, 4-3) and Lis Drake. Clara Hard (W, 4-3) and Mary Baccash. 2b: Lis Drake (T), Katie Smith (Tufts), Mary Baccash (T).

Game 5: Williams 1, Colby 0

Williams 100#000#0----1#3#2

Colby 000#000#0----0#6#1

Katherine Baldwin (W, 7-8) and Mary Baccash. Lauren Olmsted (L, 7-5) and Elizabeth Riley. 2B: Kerri McMahon (W). 3B: Annette Caswell (Colby).