#7 Tufts takes two from Endicott in Gulls regular season finale

BEVERLY, Mass. – In their final two games of the regular season, the Endicott softball team lost twice to the #7 ranked team in the country, Tufts, and will head into the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament as the top seed with an 18-18 (17-1 CCC) record.  The Jumbos reached the 30-win plateau and will wrap up their regular season with three straight conference games before heading into the playoffs. 

Game One: Endicott 2, Tufts 3

Tied 1-1 in the top of the seventh Tufts got a pair of RBI hits, a single by junior catcher Jo Clair (Glastonbury, Conn.) and a double by senior shortstop Emily Beinecke (Concord, Mass.), to take a 3-1 lead late in the game. 

The Gulls put runners on second and third in the bottom of the seventh with one out and freshman shortstop Lindsey Read (Milford, Mass.) singled up the middle to bring home Amanda Campbell (Billerica, Mass.) from third.  Leading by just one with the tying run on third, the Jumbos turned to staff ace Allyson Fournier (South Windsor, Conn.) who struck out the final two batters to earn the save and the win for Tufts.

Tufts first year pitcher Erica County (Arlington, Mass.) earned the win by going 6 1/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs on six hits with three strikeouts.  County improved to 3-0 on the season.  Her counterpart in the circle, Gulls sophomore Cameron Sprague (Clifton Park, N.Y.) pitched her seventh complete game of the season and struck out four batters but took the loss to fall to 4-7.

Earlier in the game as part of a 4-for-4 day at the plate, Tufts sophomore Michelle Cooprider (Hopkinton, Mass.) singled through the left side of the infield to put the Jumbos ahead 1-0 in the top of the first.  In the bottom half of the inning, Endicott answered as freshman Sam DiBella (Danvers, Mass.) roped a single to center that scored Krista Fales (Melrose, Mass.) from second base. 

Endicott senior third baseman Jocelyn Russo (Middletown, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with two doubles to lead the Gulls.  Tufts junior outfielder Sara Hedtler (Wrentham, Mass.) had two hits and scored twice in the win.

Game Two: Endicott 0, Tufts 9 (5 inn.)

Allyson Fournier struck out 13 of Endicott's 16 batters, allowed no hits, but walked one batter as the sophomore improved to 15-1 and helped Tufts sweep the Gulls in Wednesday non-conference doubleheader.  Four of Fournier's five innings pitched were 1-2-3 innings.

The Tufts offensive woke up and hit back-to-back homeruns as part of a six-run top of the third inning.  After a two-run single through the right side of the infield by sophomore Gracie Marshall (Palo Alto, Calif.) that scored Bri Keenan (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Beinecke, Jumbos sophomore first baseman Kris Parr (Austin, Texas) cranked a two-run shot to left followed by a solo job over the left field wall by first year second baseman Abby Curran (Hamilton, Mass.).  The six-run inning put Endicott in a 7-0 deficit as Curran had already doubled in a run in the top of the second.

Beinecke added a single to deep left center that scored Hedtler and Cooprider's infield single brought home a run in the fifth to complete the scoring.

Curran finished the game 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.  Hedtler added three hits and a stolen base.  Keenan and Beinecke also swiped bags in game two.