Wesleyan Staves Off Elimination with 3-2 Win Over Tufts in Game 6 of Softball Championship
Courtesy Wesleyan Sports Information
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Junior Molly O'Connell lofted a three-run homer to left in the top of the 6th inning to give Wesleyan a 3-2 lead over Tufts it never relinquished in Game 6 of the 2008 NESCAC Softball Championship. Sophomore pitcher Meaghan Dendy picked up her second complete-game victory over Tufts this year.
Wesleyan finished up its one-day sweep of each of the teams in the NESCAC tournament field and force a deciding game against Tufts on Sunday
Wesleyan trailed 2-0 after five innings as Tufts got one run in the 1st on a double by junior Cara Hovhanessian and an RBI single by sophomore Christy Tinker and another run in the 5th on an RBI groundout by sophomore Casey Sullivan. That run was unearned due to a pair of errors on the same play.
But with two outs and two aboard in the 6th, O'Connell sent a 1-2 pitch over the fence to put Wesleyan ahead to stay. Dendy did allow a runner to get to second in the bottom of the 6th but three groundouts around it retired the side.
In the 7th, Dendy got the Jumbos 1-2-3 with the final out on a line drive right at junior second baseman Katie Grogan to secure the win.
Wesleyan will attempt to become the first NESCAC team to come back from an opening-day loss and capture the title and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. In 2003, Williams lost to Tufts in the opening round and reached a deciding championship game by taking its next three games before losing to Tufts, 4-1.
