Jumbo Softball Blanks Babson 9-0 With Power and Pitching

BABSON PARK, MA (April 14, 2026) – Eight of Tufts' 13 hits went for extra bases, and first-year

Avery Kanouse pitched six scoreless innings as the #12 Tufts University softball team won 9-0 at Babson College on Tuesday.

The shutout is the third of the year for the Jumbos (21-6), while Babson was shut out for the fifth time and dropped to 12-15 overall.

The Jumbos had home runs from

Heaven Oliva, her eighth, and

Kaitlyn Perucci (#3), as well as two doubles by both

Haley Leimbach and

Cat Kawabe along with other two-base hits by

Paige Murphy and Perucci.

Kanouse had allowed just an infield single through six innings, but then Babson opened the seventh with base hits by Devin McCall and Izzy Burgess. Tufts went to first-year

Sarah Brody to get the final three outs for the shutout. Kanouse earned her eighth win (6 IP, 3 H, 0 R).

After the first two Tufts batters of the game were retired by Babson starting pitcher Katie Vlacich, the Jumbos hit four consecutive doubles by Murphy, Perucci (rbi), Leimbach (rbi) and Kawabe (rbi) to lead 3-0 quickly.

Kanouse walked three batters in the bottom of the first, but escaped any harm as

Mack Seibel fielded a grounder and stepped on third base for the final out of the inning.

Kawabe doubled again to lead off the fourth and scored on a single up the middle by

Ella McHugh making it 4-0. Oliva led off the fifth with a home run, and then a single by Murphy and the home run by Perucci later in the inning gave the Jumbos a 7-0 lead. It was the first time this season that the Jumbos homered twice in one inning.

Tufts added two in the top of the seventh on a leadoff single from Perucci, Leimbach's second double and then a pair of Babson errors.

Perucci finished 3 for 4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored for Tufts, while Kawabe was 3 for 4 with two runs and an rbi. Murphy and Leimbach both had two hits and two runs, and McHugh also finished with two hits.

Vlacich took the loss for Babson (4 IP, 10 H, 7 R). Bella Marchetti was on base twice for the Beavers with a single and a walk.

The Jumbos play another single non-conference game tomorrow when they host Endicott College at 4 PM.

--JUMBOS--