MEDFORD, Mass. – The Wesleyan softball team dropped both games in a Sunday doubleheader at Tufts, as the Cardinals fell 9-8 in eight innings in game one and were dealt a 9-1 defeat in five innings in game two. The Cardinals (15-5, 5-3 NESCAC) see their three-game unbeaten run come to an end while the Jumbos (10-10, 6-0 NESCAC) remain undefeated in league play.
 
Game one saw the Cardinals explode for a five-run 2^nd inning and lead 7-0 after four complete innings, but the Jumbos came roaring back with seven runs in three innings to send the game into extras where a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 8^th proved to be the difference.
 
Wesleyan plated five runs on six hits in the 2^nd inning, with all five runs coming across to score with two outs. Molly Lennon '26 stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and smacked a triple to right center to clear the bases and make it 3-0 Cardinals. Rebecca Cassel-Siskind '26 followed with an RBI single up the middle before Cat Palmer '26 doubled to right center to score another before the end of the inning.
 
Nicole Celi '27 plated another run with an RBI single in the 3^rd inning and Abby Orso G'25 heled her own cause with an RBI double to left field that scored Palmer all the way from first to make it 7-0 Wesleyan.
 
Orso was dealing through the first four innings in the circle, throwing a perfect game through the 4^th inning. The Jumbos, however, broke up the perfect game bid when Heaven Oliva hit a leadoff homer down the left field line to start the bottom of the 5^th inning.
 
Tufts plated five runs in the 6^th inning with Lauryn Horita coming through with a two-out three-run home run out to right field that closed the deficit from 7-3 to 7-6 heading into the 7^th. After a leadoff pop out in the 7^th, the next two batters reached on singles and after a wild pitch, Bela Jimenez tied the score with an RBI single to left.
 
With two runners still on base and just one out, Isabella Secaira-Cotto '25 came on in relief of Orso and managed to get out of the inning with a fielder's choice out followed by a pop up to third to send the game into extras.
 
In the 8^th, Wesleyan did manage to take the lead as Jordynn Killion '27 led off with a double and Lizzie Marino '25 knocked her in on a single through the right side to make it 8-7 Cardinals. Lennon then doubled to center to put two runners in scoring position with one out, but an inning-ending double play to short kept it a one-run game heading into the bottom half.
 
In that decisive bottom of the 8^th, Oliva led off with a double to center field and then Horita hit her second homer of the game, this time a two-run shot as Tufts walked it off in game one with a 9-8 win.
 
Wesleyan managed a season-high 13 hits off Tufts' top pitcher Sophia DiCocco, as all nine batters in the lineup had at least one hit. Five of those 13 hits went for extra bases including two for Lennon who had a double and triple with 3 RBI. Secaira-Cotto, Orso, and Waverly Smart '27 all went 2-for-4.
 
Game two saw the Cardinals jump out to an early lead once again, as Cassel-Siskind drove in Lennon with a double to right center in the 1^st inning. After two scoreless innings to start, the Jumbos got to Jacelyn Lees '28 with two runs in the 3^rd inning when Lindsay Neumann led off with a homer and Keriann Slayton later hit an RBI double to give Tufts a 2-1 lead.
 
The Cardinals had a chance to answer back in the 4^th when Lees and Smart hit consecutive singles only to have back-to-back strikeouts end the frame scoreless. Tufts then batted around in the bottom of the 4^th, plating four runs on five hits and chasing Lees as the score got to 6-1 Jumbos.
 
Tufts finished off the mercy rule win with three runs in the 5^th inning as the hosts claimed the sweep and keep hold of the top spot in the NESCAC standings.
 
Cassel-Siskind went 2-for-3 with one double, 1 RBI, and one stolen base in game two. Lees suffered the first defeat of her collegiate career as she allowed six runs in 3.2 innings.
 
The Cardinals look to rebound on Wednesday with a trip to Albertus Magnus for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3 PM.