ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - On March 10, in their University
Athletic Association opener, the Brandeis University softball team
suffered their third straight loss, 3-2, to eighth-ranked Emory
University. With the loss, Brandeis falls to 0-3, 0-1 in the
UAA, while Emory moves to 16-1, 1-0 in the UAA.
Brandeis led things off in the top of the first inning with 2B
Melisa Cagar (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) reaching
on an error. She moved over to third on a sacrifice bunt
followed by a pair of walks to load the bases with only one
out. Junior C Erin Ross (Manalapan,
N.J./Manalapan), who provided the offensive production for
the Judges by going 2-for-4 with two RBI, produced the first run of
the game with and an RBI single driving in Cagar. Emory got
out of the jam leaving three on base. The Judges' 1-0
lead would hold up until the bottom of the fourth. Emory
scored two runs on two hits. The two runs came home on a
two-out pinch-hit single up the middle by rookie Jessica Boni
(Fuquay Varina, N.C./Furquay-Varina).
Brandeis rebounded in the top of the fifth to tie the game up at
2-2. Rookie DH Marianne Specker (So. Windsor,
Conn./Westminster School) singled to left field with one
out. Specker was then pinch-run for by senior OF
Victoria Roomet (Jamaica, N.Y./Francis Lewis).
Sophomore 3B Danielle Lavallee (Sutton, Mass./Notre
Dame Academy) then walked to put runners at first and
second. Roomet then scored on an RBI single by Ross and an
error by Emory's catcher. The Eagles would get out of the
inning on a fly out to left field and then a strike out.
The Judges came up just short on the day as they saw the 2-2 tie
broken in the bottom of the seventh. Emory started it off
with an infield single by Caitlin Fitzgerald (Warren, N.J./The
Pingry School). They played small-ball for the rest of the
inning by moving Fitzgerald over to second on a sacrifice bunt and
then advancing her to third on a bunt single by Cassie Walsh (Palm
City, Fla./Jensen Beach). The game-winning run was off of a
RBI single up the middle by Jessica Thomas (Springfield, Va./West
Springfield) to drive home Fitzgerald.
Junior P Emily Vaillette (Milford,
N.H./Milford) suffered the loss despite keeping the Eagles
off the board in five of seven innings. She pitched 6.2
innings giving up only three runs on seven hits and two walks while
striking out three.
Brandeis will look for a few victories down in Florida as they
play seven more UAA games in the next four days.
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