Hartford, Conn. - The Trinity College softball team lost twice to the Tufts University Jumbos on Saturday, dropping game one by a score of 10-4, before falling in game two, 4-3. The Bantams, who defeated Tufts, 4-2 in yesterday's series opener, fall to 11-9 on the year and 3-3 in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) East. The Jumbos move to 22-6 overall and 7-2 in the division. Before today's doubleheader, Trinity honored its two seniors, tri-captains Courtney Erickson (Everett, Mass.) and Nicole Towner (Erie, Colo.), as part of Senior Day. 

After a scoreless first two innings of play, Trinity broke ahead in the bottom of the third with a run on an RBI-single off the bat of Erickson. Sophomores Cassidy Schiff (Darien, Conn.) and Samantha Witmer (Drexel Hill, Pa.) led off the frame with back-to-back singles before Erickson came up and singled to score Schiff.

Trinity first-year hurler Jordan Stephan (South Orange, N.J.) kept the Jumbos off the board through five innings, allowing the Bantams to open a three-run lead after adding two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Witmer drilled a two-out triple that scored Schiff and classmate Gillian Birk (Westport, Conn.), however, Tufts answered in a major way with seven runs in the top of the sixth. 

The Jumbos scored seven runs on seven hits and a pair of Trinity fielding miscues to jump ahead, 7-3. Alexis Aboulafia (Houston, Texas) and Kristen Caporelli (Taunton, Mass.) drove home a run each with RBI-singles while Sofia Molina (Pleasanton, Calif.) highlighted the inning with a grand-slam to left. 

Maggie Lebinski (Monroe, Conn.) accounted for three more Jumbo runs in the top of the seventh, a two-run double and a run on a double-steal with Emma Della Volpe (Concord, Mass.), to give Tufts all the support it needed for the victory. Erickson crushed a solo homer in the home half of the inning but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback as Tufts came away with the six run victory in game one.

Game two saw the roles reversed as Tufts took the first lead before a Trinity comeback. The Jumbos scored once in the first on a sacrifice fly to left off the bat of Aboulafia that scored Della Volpe who singled to lead off the game. Tufts went ahead 3-0 after runs in both the fifth and sixth inning, but Trinity made things interesting with a three-spot in the bottom of the sixth. 

Sophomore Jenna Thomas (Orange, Conn.), Erickson and sophomore Hannah Zukowski (Burlington, Conn.) singled in succession to load the bases for Trinity with no outs. Towner followed with a single to score Thomas before first-year Alex Chambers (East Lyme, Conn.) plated Erickson on a fielder's choice. Birk came up clutch with a hard-hit single up the middle to score Zukowski. Tufts pitcher Gillian O'Connor (Montgomery, N.J.) left two runners stranded to keep the damage to three runs as both teams headed to the seventh tied at 3-3.

Della Volpe singled and advanced to second on a Trinity error to start things off for the guests in the top of the inning before Mia Steinberg (Larchmont, N.Y.) sacrificed her over to third on a bunt for the first out of the inning. Up to bat came Aboulafia who drover Della Volpe home on a base hit to right field to give the Jumbos a 4-3 lead. After a fly ball out for the second out of the inning, Towner caught Aboulafia trying to steal second to end the inning. 

Witmer led off the home half of the seventh with a single to put the tying run on base with no outs. O'Connor managed to hold off the rally though, inducing a fielder's choice before striking out back-to-back hitters to end the game and complete the sweep for the Jumbos.