Seventh-Inning Single Gives Williams a 1-0 Win Over Tufts in Softball Championship
Courtesy Williams Sports Information
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. - Alana Frost's two-out, RBI-single off the leg of Tufts starter Erica Bailey drove in Morgan Simpson with the game's only run as the Williams College softball team clipped the Jumbos 1-0 to advance to the championship game of the 2006 NESCAC Softball Tournament.
Williams tied a school record with its 18th consecutive victory and improved to 28-8 overall. Tufts fell to 25-13 and is scheduled to play Trinity in Saturday's second elimination game at 3 p.m. The Ephs will play the winner of that game Sunday at 10 a.m. If the Ephs lose that game, the two teams will meet again 20 minutes after the conclusion of it.
Williams senior Clara Hard and Tufts sophomore Bailey were locked in a scoreless pitcher's duel until the bottom of the seventh inning. Ephs first-year Morgan Simpson pinch-hit with one out in the seventh and the bases empty and grounded a single to center. She took second on Joey Lye's sacrifice bunt and moved to third when Katelyn Knox's grounder was misplayed.
That brought up Frost, already 2 for 3 on the day. On the fourth pitch, she drilled a liner back up the middle. If hit Bailey's leg and landed between the mound and first base. Frost raced to first as Simpson scored the game-winning run.
Tufts finished with two hits, one each by Samantha Kuhles and Cara Hovhanessian. Both came in the fourth inning, when the Jumbos put runners on first and second with one out. Hard induced Bailey to hit into a fielder's choice for the second out, then got Maya Ripecky on a comebacker to end the threat.
Hard allowed two hits and no walks over seven frames, walking no one and striking out three. Bailey allowed eight hits over 6 2/3 innings. She walked one and fanned four.
Frost finished 3 for 4 with an RBI.
