Softball (20-14, 9-5 NESCAC) hosted the Middlebury Panthers (26-8, 10-6 NESCAC) and the Wesleyan Cardinals (17-14, 7-9 NESCAC) in a pair of home doubleheaders this past weekend, which also featured celebrations of the team’s 40-year anniversary and Senior Day. The Ephs finished with a split against both opponents, winning 6-1 against the Panthers on Saturday before an 11-2 loss later that day. On Sunday, the Ephs defeated the Cardinals 3-0 before losing the second game 2-0.
The Panthers and Cardinals were both familiar NESCAC opponents, according to pitcher and utility player Katie Blanch ’27. “We have been playing some of the same players for the past three or four years,” she wrote to the Record. “They know us — our pitching, hitters, and fielding ability. We know theirs. That means that we have to bring our A-game and play our best softball as a team to win.”
Saturday’s game against the Panthers started with a scoreless first inning. In the second inning, Dani Jackman ’28 hit a home run with Haley Barrett ’29 on base, putting the Ephs ahead 2-0. After the Ephs allowed a home run in the top of the fourth, Lauren Davis ’28 and Sidney Miller ’26 extended the lead, each singling home two runs in the bottom half of the frame. The team sustained that lead for a 6-1 win, as captain and starting pitcher Sadie Leonard ’26 gave up just one run and struck out seven batters in six innings of work.
A few hours later, the Panthers opened the second game with two runs in the first inning. Blanch and Miller then scored off of a single from Davis to tie the game 2-2 in the bottom half of the frame. The score remained stagnant until a nine-run seventh inning for the Panthers dealt the Ephs an 11-2 loss.
Alums spanning all four decades returned to campus on Saturday in celebration of the program’s 40th anniversary, and shared their stories with current players. “We learned about crazy traditions and about things that have changed or had stayed the same — from hand-me-down lacrosse shorts as uniforms to circle stories,” pitcher and utility player Cassidy Chew ’29 wrote to the Record.
According to Chew, “circle stories” are a lasting tradition where the Ephs gather to share their thoughts with each other ahead of every game. “We say what’s on our mind or tell the team about something that happened that day and end the story with, ‘Now I’m ready to practice/beat the other team,” she wrote. “So we can transition from whatever is going on in our lives to a softball mindset.”
Utility player Ayane Rokugawa ’29 reflected on the significance of the 40-year celebration. “It really captured how Williams softball has evolved and grown as a program in the best ways, and how many great people were lucky enough to be a part of such an impactful and amazing program,” she wrote.
On Sunday, the Ephs returned to the field to face the Cardinals. They took the lead in the bottom of the second when Blanch scored off of a sacrifice fly from Davis. Emily Borrazzo ’27 then hit a single to center field, allowing Miya Fujimoto ’29 to score from second base in the same frame. Davis scored the Ephs’ third run in the sixth inning, with Leonard recording a total of 14 strikeouts to shut out the Cardinals, finishing the game 3-0.
In their second game, the Ephs and Cardinals remained scoreless through four innings, with Blanch securing six strikeouts. The Cardinals then scored on an error in the top of the fifth to take a 1-0 lead, before adding another run in the sixth the same way. The Ephs attempted a late comeback in the bottom of the seventh, but failed to score after putting two runners on base, ultimately falling 2-0.
Sunday’s Senior Day also brought an outpouring of recognition for players who competed in their final home game of the regular season. “We decorated the field and locker room to celebrate [the seniors],” Blanch wrote. “One of my favorite things we do is make hand-drawn posters for each senior filled with inside jokes, things they love, and more.”
Catcher Aleks Albert ’28 expressed her appreciation for the seniors. “[They are] such a special group of upperclassmen full of love, care, and amazing leadership,” she wrote to the Record. “They give their all to the team every time they step on the field and there is nothing they wouldn’t do for us.”
Reflecting on the season thus far, Albert also highlighted the Ephs’ growth on both an individual and collective level. “As the season goes by, we are better able to understand ourselves individually and [as] a team,” she wrote. “Because of that, we are able to figure out what we need to work on more and things we need to perfect in our own time.”
The Ephs are set for two more doubleheaders next weekend, as they go against the Amherst Mammoths (10-22, 5-11 NESCAC) in Amherst, Mass., on Saturday and the Tufts Jumbos (25-7, 11-3 NESCAC) in Medford, Mass., on Sunday to wrap up their regular season.
