Softball Upends #1 Tufts, Falls To Malacester In Campaign Opening Twinbill

Minneola, FL --- Sophomore Hayley Terry (N. Dighton, MA) and junior Taylor Hanley (Wilmington, MA) combined for five base-knocks and four RBIs as they upset #1 Tufts, 7-4, after dropping their season-opening contest to Malacester in a 3-2 decision.

The Lancers (1-1) took over the commanding 6-0 advantage in the top of the first and did most of their damage with two men down in the frame.

With runners on the corners, Terry and freshman Kayla Humphrey (Wallingford, CT) followed with RBIs to go up by two scores. First-year Mackenzie Crumley (Fall River, MA/Durfee) then reached base on a misplayed throw by the second baseman, scoring a pair of runs on the play.

Hanley capped off the frame with a clutch two-run single to right which helped open the floodgates for the Blue and Gold.

Tufts (3-1) promptly responded by cutting the lead in half with a three-run blast over the left field fence by freshman Cassie Ruscz (Wolcott, CT).

Worcester State, however, answered and extended their margin to 7-4 in the second inning when Terry plated freshman Courtney Salisbury (Cranston, RI). Salisbury had led off the frame with a single and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice.

In the top of the fourth, the Lancers started off another rally by putting runners on first and second. With no one out in the inning, the Jumbos opted to insert Honda Division III Player of the Year Alyssa Fournier (Windsor, CT) into the game.

Fournier promptly retired the side and 12 of the last 13 batters she saw with all of them coming by way of strikeout.

The effort allowed the home team to put the first batter on in three out of the last four frames of the contest, but sophomore Meghan Rich (Chelmsford, MA) was masterful in the circle. Rich did not allow the Jumbos to push across another sore until a a late uprising in the final stanza.

In the seventh, Tufts broke the scoreless innings streak by Rich with an RBI single with two outs, but the comeback effort was short lived as she set down the final batter with a looking strikeout to complete the upset.

Rich (1-0) fanned three and walked two batters over her seven innings of work. Crumley and Hanley both chipped in with two base-knocks each while Terry was 3-for-4.

The Jumbos had entered the contest ranked as the top squad in Division III in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Poll. Tufts have also claimed the last two NCAA Division III New England regional crowns and won the 2014 Division III National Softball Championship.

WSU outhit their counterparts by a final margin of 10-9 with doubles by Humphrey and Pelletier.

After Malacester (6-2) scored twice in the top of the first, the Lancers sliced into the deficit. Junior Alyssa Hill (Erving, MA) drove in Terry to help the Blue and Gold trail 2-1 early on.

The Scots then extended the score to 3-1 in the top of the fourth for some insurance. 

Worcester State though came back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by Hanley for the 3-2 contest. A base on balls issued to Salisbury helped WSU threaten to tie things up with the bases juiced. Malacester junior Brittany Ehmann (Island Lake, IL), however, had other plans and ended the uprising with a ground out.

Late in the game Salisbury and Terry reached on doubles in the sixth and seventh frames, respectively, but they were stranded as the Lancers failed to knock in the equalizer.

Salisbury, Terry and Humphrey all registered two hits each to aid the Lancers in outslugging their counterparts, 11-10.

Humphrey (0-1) shouldered the setback in the circle for WSU. She allowed three earned runs to go along with 10 hits, three walks and a trio of strikeouts. Humphrey also hit a pair of batters.

The Lancers will play a pair of evening games tomorrow starting with Utica at 5 PM and SUNY Oswego in a 7 PM first-pitch.

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