After playing seven straight games at home, the Brandeis men’s baseball team flipped to play four games away against Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) for the first weekend of April. The team played one game on Friday, April 1, two on Saturday, April 2 and one on Sunday, April 3.
In game one, offense was difficult to come by. Across the first five innings of the game, the two teams combined for just four hits and no runs. CWRU finally broke through in the sixth inning as they took a 2-0 lead. The Judges did not get anything going, as their two hits in the second inning were their only hits of the game. Pitcher Mason Newman (GRAD) pitched a strong game overall as he allowed just two runs through eight innings, while striking out six batters. Junior left fielder Sam Nugent ’23 and center fielder Dan Frey (GRAD) had the only two hits in the game for the Judges. The final score of the game was 3-0 in favor of CWRU.
Game two saw the Judges get behind early and unable to make a comeback. CWRU got out to an early 3-0 lead that was built upon in the fourth inning. Brandeis started a comeback when Frey hit a double in the sixth inning that scored second baseman Mike Khoury (GRAD). CWRU proceeded to score another two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Brandeis could not make a comeback. Frey and Khoury each had two hits in the game. Third baseman Brian King ’23 had a walk and a run batted in (RBI). Pitcher Marc Maestri ’22 and pitcher Sean Decker-Jacoby ’24 combined to pitch eight innings and six strikeouts. Brandeis ultimately took the loss 2-7.
Pitching carried Brandeis to victory in game three against CWRU. The Judges took the lead in the third inning off of a sacrifice fly from Nugent and a RBI single from Khoury. Both teams had multiple opportunities to score but both pitchers kept the scoring at a minimum. Pitcher Asher Kaplan ’23 pitched a nine-inning complete game to earn the win. He allowed six hits but just one run, while striking out two batters. Out of his 116 pitches, 83 of them were strikes. Catcher Liam Kennedy ’22 led the team in hits with two. Even though the Judges’ offense was sparse, it was enough for Kaplan to keep the CWRU offense at bay and in the end, Brandeis won 2-1.
The final game of the series was a nail biter. Brandeis got off to a fast 7-2 lead through two innings, but CWRU just would not give up. CWRU quickly cut the lead with a three- run sixth inning. Eventually, the ninth inning came, and Brandeis was up only one run. CWRU then tied the game in the bottom of the ninth inning and carried the game into extra innings. In the top of the 10th inning, the Judges had a runner on base after Khoury was hit by a pitch, however they could not bring him around to score. CWRU then proceeded to hit a walk off triple in the following half inning to get the walk off win at home. Outfielder Steve Simon ‘23, Frey and third baseman Victor Oppenheimer (GRAD) all had two hits in the game. King had only one hit but also three RBIs. Brandeis could not hold onto their lead, and this resulted in a 7-8 loss in their last game against CWRU.
The Brandeis men’s baseball team will play eight consecutive games at home through series against New York University, Lasell University and Washington University. That home game series begins on April 8 against New York University.
