MEDFORD, Mass. - Senior Sidney Miller and junior Justine Dunaway of the Williams College softball team combined for eight hits in a doubleheader Sunday, as the Ephs suffered a pair of losses at No. 11-ranked Tufts on Spicer Field.

The Jumbos (29-9, 14-4 NESCAC) won the first game, 4-3, in seven innings, and then emerged victorious by a score of 9-6 in seven innings during Game 2. Tufts earned the top seed in the NESCAC Tournament, as the top-eight teams in the conference will compete in the single-elimination playoffs on March 8-10 on the campus of Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. The Ephs (22-16, 11-7 NESCAC) claimed the fifth seed and will compete against host and fourth-seeded Bowdoin during the quarterfinal round Saturday at 9:30 a.m. on Pickard Softball Diamond.

During Game 1, Dunaway reached base for the Ephs four times, going 3-of-3 batting, with one double, one RBI and one walk. Miller finished 2 for 4 in the batter's box, with one RBI. Williams held a 9-7 advantage in hits.

Kaitlyn Perucci finished 2 for 3, with two RBIs and one run, for the hosts. Avery Kanouse earned the win in the circle for the Jumbos, giving up just one earned run in six innings, while Fallon O'Connor earned the save, pitching the seventh.

Williams opened the scoring with a two-run effort in the first inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Miller and sophomore Dani Jackman. A two-out, one-run single to center by Perucci in the fourth sliced the Ephs' lead in half. Tufts took a 4-2 advantage in the sixth as a result of RBI singles by Perucci and Haley Leimbach and an RBI ground out by Paige Murphy. First-year Ayane Rokugawa was able to race across home with one out in the seventh on a one-run single to left by Dunaway, cutting the deficit down to one, but the Jumbos were able to close out the victory.

During Game 2, Tufts finished with 13 hits and Williams tallied 11. Williams received multi-hit efforts by senior captain Alysa DeQuiroz (2 for 3, 2 runs, 1 walk), Miller (2 of 3, 2 RBIs, 1 double, 1 run) and Jackman (2 for 3, 1 RBI, 1 walk). Leading the way for the Jumbos were Ella Malin (3 for 3, 2 RBIs, 2 runs) and Heaven Oliva (3 for 4, 2 RBIs, 1 run). Francesca Colangelo earned the win in the circle for Tufts, giving up two runs, six hits and one walk, while striking out one batter, in the final four innings.

Tufts built a 3-0 lead in the bottom half of the second, as the rally included RBI singles by Malin and Oliva. Williams responded by scoring six consecutive runs, as four came in the top half of the third. Miller, Dunaway and Jackman tallied consecutive RBI singles with no outs, and then sophomore Aleks Albert scored Dunaway on a one-run infield single, giving the Ephs a 4-3 lead.

Williams extended its lead to 6-3 during the fourth, as first-year Haley Barrett crossed home with no outs, and then Dunaway connected on a sacrifice fly to left, scoring DeQuiroz and giving the unit a three-run advantage.

The Jumbos earned the win with a six-run output in the sixth, as a three-run single by Leimbach stood up as the game-winning hit. The surge also included RBI singles by Malin, Oliva and Murphy.