Since last publication, the Brandeis baseball team has played five games against Wheaton, Lasell, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Nichols. The Judges have lost all five games.
On March 22, the Judges traveled to Norton, MA to play against Wheaton. Pitcher Mark Maestri (GRAD) had an amazing performance, allowing just five hits throughout eight innings, striking out eight and walking two. Additionally, Jordan Greenaway ’26, Eddie Zanor (GRAD) and Jake Freed (GRAD) hit a single each. However, that was not enough to beat Wheaton. The Judges advanced as far as second base only once, and Wheaton’s pitching sent down 10 of Brandeis’s hitters in a row. A two-run home run from Wheaton allowed them to win the game 2-0.
On March 27, the Judges faced off against Lasell at home. Zanor scored a point in the first inning, but Lasell followed up by scoring four points despite pitcher Sean Decker-Jacoby ’24 scoring new career highs with nine strikeouts. At the bottom of the ninth, Brandeis loaded the bases and it looked as though they had the chance to tie the game. The next batter, Greenaway, drove a pitch into the left wall, earning just another single. Lasell’s pitcher prevented the Judges from scoring again, ultimately leaving the game as a 2-5 loss for Brandeis.
Next, on March 30, the Judges played two games against WPI, again on the Stein Diamond. Maestri pitched well again, striking out five and allowing only five hits throughout the game, and retiring 14 of the last 16 batters he faced. The only point scored in the game, from WPI, happenined early in the third inning. By the end of the seventh inning, with nothing else scored, the Judges finally got a chance when Freed hit a double and was bunted to third. As with Lasell, it looked as if the game would end in a tie, but the visiting team’s pitching prevented Freed from getting to home, leaving the final score as 0-1.
Two hours later, the second game began. WPI got an early lead, scoring five in the second inning and three in the third. Also in the third inning, Tobei Nakajima ’27 hit a single, managed to move to second on a missed pick-off and third on a wild pitch, and scored when CJ Dunston ‘26 hit a sacrifice fly. This was the only point that Brandeis could score during the entire game, as the Judges only hit four times. Another one of those hits was by Maestri as a pinch hitter in the fifth inning. He scored a double, but was unable to move any further beyond that. WPI broadened the score in the last few innings, ending up winning 13-1 against the Judges.
The Judges played against visiting Nichols on April 2. Nichols got off to a strong start as they loaded the bases in the first inning. They scored two runs, but Decker-Jacoby’s pitching prevented them from getting the third. Brandeis responded in the fourth inning as Justin Keeler ‘25 hit a double, eventually making it home on a wild pitch. But the Judges were unable to score any more points, although Zanor managed to reach third base at three different points during the game. Nichols took home two runs in the fifth inning, and five in the eighth, leading to a crushing 9-1 victory against the Judges.
Going forward, the Judges have a busy schedule. They will play Case Western Reserve University on March 5 and 6 and Endicott on March 10. Then they will play New York University from March 12-14 and Dean on March 17.
