Last week, Brandeis Softball won four out of seven games over a four day period. The stretch started off with road games against Worcester State on Thursday and Saint Josephs College on Friday before returning to host Trinity on Saturday and Husson College for a double-header on Sunday.
Brandeis dominated Worcester State in their first game on Thursday, winning 11-1 after five innings due to the mercy rule. Worchesters one run scored on a passed ball in the fourth inning. Kaitlin Streilein 08 pitched the game for Brandeis, striking out five while giving up just two hits. Brianne Smith 06 and Mari Levine 06 each contributed multiple hits, runs, RBIs and a double apiece. Worcester also had five errors in the field.
Worcester fared better in the second game, starting off with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the first inning. Brandeis hit Worcesters pitcher well, accumulating twelve hits along with two walks. Elissa Glucksman 06, Amelia Schimmel 08, Streilein, and Christina McWilliams 07 each had multi-hit games, however Brandeis left eleven runners on base while Worcester scored six runs in the first four innings to win the game 6-3.
Brandeis traveled on Friday to Saint Josephs College in Maine to play a double header, both games turned into pitchers duels. Coach Mary Sullivan later said that Friday our pitching was great. Streilein retired the first eleven hitters for Brandeis, finishing with 10 strikeouts while surrendering only 4 hits. Streilein also helped her own cause with a single and a run. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Brandeis scored 3 runs to put the game away. Brandeis later added a run to win 4-0.
Brandeis was quick to put a run on the board in the second game when Glucksman scored on Smiths sacrifice fly in the first inning. Dominating efforts by both pitchers ensued as neither team scored for five innings. Volpe gave up only two hits in the first six innings for Brandeis. But in the bottom of the seventh inning, Saint Josephs found a way to hit Volpe scratching out two runs to take the second game 2-1. Sullivan mentioned later on that Volpe only let two balls out of the infield.
Brandeis returned to face Trinity College at home the next day. Both teams hit the ball well. The game was tied after two innings but Trinity started to slug the ball and won 13-2 in five innings. The key difference was that Brandeis hit the ball exactly where Trinitys fielders were, while in contrast Trinity hit the ball nowhere near the Brandeis fielders.
The next day, Husson College visited Brandeis for a double header. Husson was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Brandeis started off the first game with an RBI double by Smith, scoring Glucksman. Two batters later, Natalie Volpe hit a 2-out, 3-run home run over the center field fence. Two innings later, Brandeis scored four more runs, as Christina McWilliams hit a mammoth shot over the left field wall with two runners on. On the mound, Volpe pitched five shutout innings, giving up two hits and striking out four. The game was over after five innings. Every Brandeis hitter but one got a hit in the 8-0 victory.
But the onslaught was not done yet for the day, as there was a second game. Husson finally scored that day with a home run in the top of the first inning. Brandeis responded by batting around in the bottom of the inning, scoring six runs. The next inning, Brandeis scored three more. In the third inning, Brandeis added a tenth run, which put Brandeis up 10-1, a score that stayed still until the game was ended after the fifth inning due to the mercy rule.
After the game, Sullivan said that she thought we played well and we hit well. Natalie pitched a two-hitter with four strikeouts, so she obviously did a great job on the mound. In the second game, we continued to hit well. She [Streilein] did a great job in game two and had six strikeouts and we continued to hit well. For the day, Brianne Smith, Volpe, and McWilliams each had three hits, and Volpe had five RBIs.
Notes: Games on Tuesday and Wednesday were rained out. Tuesdays was moved to Thursday. Wednesdays was moved to April 24th Kaitlin Streilein was named the UAA Pitcher of the Week for the week from March 27th to April 2nd. She won four games in six appearances. Streilein struck out 35 batters and pitched a shutout against St. Josephs on Friday.
