BABSON PARK, Mass.—Sophomore Lauryn Horita (San Mateo, Calif.) knocked in the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning as No. 16 Tufts University rallied from a five-run deficit to defeat Babson College, 6-5, on Tuesday afternoon at Alumni Field. 

Babson, which had won its last seven games at home, drops to 20-16 on the year while Tufts improves to 29-6. 

Sophomore Sophia Pak (New Rochelle, N.Y.) went 2-for-3 with two RBI, senior Molly Hennessy (Tallahassee, Fla.) singled twice and drove in a run, and junior Sara Moore (Kennett Square, Pa.) went 2-for-4 and became the Beavers' career leader with her 64th stolen base in the loss. Graduate student Kate Karamouzis (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) triple and scored, while first-year Katie Vlacich (Concord, N.H.) suffered the loss to drop to 7-9 on the year after giving up one earned run on three hits over 4.0 innings. 

Senior Josie Steinberg (Larchmont, N.Y.) went 3-for-5, Horita singled twice and senior Bela Jimenez (Oak Park, Calif.) drove in a pair of runs for the Jumbos. Junior Sky Johnson (Pismo Beach, Calif.) tossed seven shutout innings of relief to improve to 12-1 after senior Sophia DiCocco (Bozrah, Conn.) gave up five runs in the first inning. 

Moore led off with a single, graduate student Michaela Russell (Boston, Mass.) reached on an error and Karazmouzis was hit trying to bunt before first-year Charlotte Raymond (Wrentham, Mass.) and junior Athena Hadjipanayis (Rye, N.Y.) worked back-to-back walks to give the Green and White a 2-0 lead. Hennessy followed with an infield single to bring home another run and Pak lashed a single to left that plated two more to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage. 

Tufts got an RBI single from junior Keriann Slayton (Mechanicsville, Va.) but left the bases loaded in the top of the second. First-year Heaven Oliva (Ventura, Calif.) produced an RBI single as part of a two-run third that cut the Babson lead to 5-3, and senior Michelle Adelman (Cooper City, Fla.) drew a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fourth before Beavers' senior Moira O'Reilly (Columbus, Ohio) escaped further damage when Pak tracked down Oliva's long fly ball to left while banging into the wall to end the frame. 

Babson graduate student Cassidy Musco (Walpole, Mass.) was called out at home trying to tack on an insurance run on a delayed double steal in the bottom of the sixth and the Jumbos tied the game in the top of the seventh when Jimenez brought in Adelman with a one-out single to right. Horita put Tufts ahead for the first time with her two-out single to center in the top of the eighth and Johnson got a ground out and a strikeout with the potential tying run at third to end the game. 

O'Reilly, who had won each of her previous nine starts, did not factor into the decision after striking out six and giving up four runs over 4.0 innings. 

Babson is back in action on Friday when it hosts Clark in a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m., while Tufts travels to Bowdoin for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday. 

GAME NOTES
•    The Beavers are 14-30 all-time against Tufts with each of their last three losses coming by a single run. 
•    Moore surpassed Andrea Cartullo '07 with her 64th career steal. 
•    Eighteen of Babson's 36 games this season have been decided by either one or two runs and it is 10-8 in those contests. 
•    The Beavers are now 2-3 on the year versus nationally-ranked opponents.