The Brandeis Baseball team returned home seeking a revival. After slogging through nine games in Texas and Florida to start the season–a span in which they went 2-7–the Judges climbed to a 10-9 walk off win in their home debut last Thursday against Bridgewater State (6-4). The Judges would continue the New England segment of their schedule four days later, gunning for a win on the road.
The week began on a high note for the Judges, as rookie left fielder Chris Ferro ’13 was named University Athletic Association hitter of the week. Against Bridgewater State, Ferro hit a perfect 4-for-4, collected five RBI, scored three runs, and stole a base. The Walpole, Mass. native leads the team with 11 RBIs and two home runs while batting a healthy .355.
Against the Salem State Vikings (5-5) however, a triumphant follow-up was not in the cards. Rookie pitcher Andrew Weissenberg ’13 was unable to make it out of the first inning, allowing all four Vikings he faced to reach base.
After walking the first two men he faced, Weissenberg gave up an RBI single to Salem State’s Steve Mucci ’10 and a double to designated hitter Ryan Kane ’11. Kane’s run-scoring smash knocked Brandeis’s rookie righty out of the game. Alex Tynan ’12 came on in relief. After allowing Salem State’s fourth run–this one by way of the sacrifice fly–the Judges’ pitching staff settled down.
Despite allowing baserunners in each of the next four innings, the relief corps proved successful escape artists. They wouldn’t give up another earned run for the remainder of the affair.
However, the Judges could only take solace in small victories, as Salem State pitched its way to a 5-1 win.
Salem State’s Matt Kerr ’12 was untouchable, striking out six and allowing only seven runners on route to a complete game four-hitter. The only spot on his scoreless resume occurred in the Judges’ seventh, courtesy of a one-out two-bagger by Artie Posch ’10. The double followed an error, and so the run was unearned.
If the Judges were hoping for a quick shot at redemption, it would have to wait another day. Tuesday’s scheduled home game against Wheaton College (4-4) was postponed due to rain. The game will now be played on Sunday, April 18.
Although the rain let up in time for Wednesday’s contest against Wentworth, the Judges may rather have had another washout. A tight game in its early stages, the 7-4 Leopards clawed their way to an 11-5 win on Stein Diamond.
The teams traded zeros for the first two innings. In the third, Wentworth jumped ahead by four after receiving RBI singles from one third of its lineup. The lead wouldn’t last long. With the leadoff man leading off first, sophomore shortstop Sean O’Hare delivered a two-run bomb in the bottom of the frame. The homer was O’Hare’s first of the season. Brandeis picked up two more scores on a pair of one-out hits from Ferro and John O’Brion ’10.
Wentworth scored run number five in the fourth. Again, the Judges answered quickly, evening the score on another hit from O’Brion. With Drake Livada ’10 standing on second base in the home sixth, the Portland, Maine native drove a single to left-field. The Judges would not score again; Wentworth would go on to plate six more runners.
Unable to carry any momentum from its tying score out of the sixth inning, Brandeis allowed the first four Leopards to reach base in the very next frame. Rather than dig deep for the big bomb, the Leopards were content to play small ball. It was a formula that served them well. In the bottom of the sixth, Wentworth scored four runs on three hits, a pair of hit-by-pitches, two bases on balls, and a sacrifice bunt. All three hits were singles. Wentworth–on a single from leadoff man Matt Jordan ’11– would tack on two more in the eighth.
Despite the loss, the Judges’ offense performed well. Five players – O’Brion, Ferro, O’Hare, Tony Deshler ’11, and Jon Chu ’12 – each collected at least two hits. Five Leopards achieved the same feat.
On Thursday, the Judges made their way to Rhode Island for a date with Salve Regina’s Seahawks (7-6). They would leave the Ocean State with a 9-4 victory in their name. The Seahawks tallied two in both the second and the fourth, and Brandeis fell behind by an early 4-1 margin. Still, the Judges never relented. Brandeis pitching allowed only four base runners after Salve’s second score.
In the eighth inning, the Judges would take control. Livada opened the inning with a triple. He would trot home on a Deshler double, tying the score at 4-all. Deshler came around on a throwing error. It was a lead the Judges would not relinquish; before the affair was over, they would score four more
The Judges are back in action with two doubleheaders this weekend. Saturday, they’ll play a pair in Springfield (6-5); on Sunday, they return to Stein Diamond to take on Framingham State (5-7). On both occasions, the early game begins at noon.
