Picking up where we left off last, the softball team has continued to strengthen their season record having faced Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), UMass Dartmouth and Washington University of St. Louis (WashU). Their most recent series against WashU was especially exciting as it was the first time they faced a fellow University Athletic Association (UAA) conference competitor this season.
Jumping right into it, the Judges’ first game of this recap was played as part of a doubleheader against WPI on Friday, March 22. During this first game, the Judges had a quiet first inning after WPI started off with two runs in the top of the first. Able to shut down any point-scoring attempts for WPI in the second inning, the Judges went on to score eight runs in the bottom of the second to set the tone for the game. This impressive number of runs were scored thanks to a couple key plays; a home run from Anna Kolb ’25, as well as a two-run double hit by Haley Nash ’24. In the second inning alone, the Judges sent 13 batters to the plate, scoring all eight runs off of just four hits. WPI tried to inch their way back into contention for the win, but were ultimately unsuccessful as their six runs could not compare to the 14 total runs the Judges scored in just six innings. Other key performances for the Judges include Hana Bean’s ’27 first career homer, Bells Burdenski ’26 hitting a three-run shot, and Brooke Boehmer ’27 closing out the game with both a double and a fielder’s choice in the fifth and sixth inning. Pitching for the game was Alex Cohen ’24 and Ragini Kannan ’26, each having successful showings on the mound.
In the second game of this doubleheader, the Judges tied with WPI, 7-7. However, the umpires declared that the game could not continue due to how dark it had gotten. This game will be resumed on April 15. The key play that earned the Judges the tie was Bean’s ’27 second home run for the day. Once this game is completed, the full recap will be written.
Following their doubleheader at home against WPI, the Judges traveled to Dartmouth, Massachusetts to face the UMass Dartmouth Corsairs in another doubleheader.
In their first game against the Corsairs, the bats were quiet all around. The Judges scored two runs within the nine innings played for this game. The first came in the third off of a grounder by Maddie Manes ’26 which drove in Boehmer ’27 who was already on base after a lead-off walk. Their second and final run of the game was scored in the seventh inning off of a sacrifice fly from junior Fiona Doiron ’25 which drove in Boehmer ’27 who was already on base off of a triple to right. Unfortunately, the game was tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the ninth, which presented the Corsairs an opportunity to win the game. Subsequently, they were able to successfully capitalize on the opportunity and ultimately win the game with a final score of 3-2 against the Judges.
In their second game of the day, the Judges fell, once again, to the Corsairs in a final score of 1-3 after six innings of play. The Judges’ only run in this game was the result of Burdenski’s ’26 third home run of the season. After this run in the top of the first, the Corsairs responded with a run in the bottom of the first, fourth, and fifth to close out the game and capture the win.
After two doubleheaders in their homestate, the Judges traveled to St. Louis, Missouri to play four games against the WashU bears. The Judges had a good showing in this series as they split it with the Bears, winning two games each.
In their first game against WashU, the Judges won with a score of 4-2. Though the bats were quiet all around for the first two innings of the game, the Judges set the tone with a two-run single hit to left-center field by Alex Cohen ’24. Judges’ third run came in the fifth inning off of a double from Anna Kolb ’26 which drove in Nash ’24 who was on first base. To seal the deal the Judges scored one more run in the sixth inning off of Hannah Fletcher’s ‘27 first collegiate home run as a pinch hitter. On the mound, Kannan held her ground for the Judges as she held the Bears hitless until the fourth inning and had a shutout until the sixth.
On their second day of play in St. Louis, the Judges faced the Bears in a doubleheader.
In their first game of the day, the Judges did not have the opportunity to hit their stride. A five-run inning for the Bears in the fifth made it quite difficult for them to overcome their six run deficit to the Bears as they headed into the sixth inning. Despite this, the Judges still had some key plays to put themselves on the board. In the second inning Nash ’24 scored on a groundout by Cohen ’24 to put the Judges on the board. As the game started to conclude, the Judges found their rhythm, though a bit too late to make up for their lost ground to the Bears. As they tried to work their way back into the game, the Judges scored three runs to retire the side. This was ultimately not enough and left the Judges losing to the Bears 4-8.
After a brief intermission, the Judges and Bears played their second game of the day, this time a much more successful game for the Judges. Eager to get into the game and make their mark, the Judges opened the first with six runs scored off of five hits. Despite this powerful first inning, the Bears were not going down without a fight. They subsequently responded with five runs in the bottom of the first, minimizing the Judge’s lead to just one run. However, with their strong defensive plays for the remainder of the game, the Judges held the Bears to those five runs and no more. For extra assurance, the Judges also scored two more runs in the top of the third to produce the final score of 8-5, Judges.
In their final game of this recap and their last game in St. Louis, the Judges fell 1-9 in an unfortunate game against the Bears. The Judges’ only run came in the top of the sixth before the game was suspended due to the eight-run rule. Despite this loss, the Judges still had an impressive outing against the Bears. Having split the series is a representation of the strength the Judges have to offer this season.
Going forward, the Judges will be in Pittsburgh this upcoming weekend to face the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans in another four-game UAA conference series. Though we cannot attend in person, the games will still be live streamed so we can watch. The links can be found on the Brandeis Judges Athletic website.
