WALTHAM, Mass. - On a cold and overcast day, the Brandeis
softball team split a doubleheader with Suffolk University. The
Rams erased a 6-0 deficit and went on to win the opener in eight
innings, 10-9, while the Judges ended game two early, 11-0, in five
innings.
Brandeis (14-10) jumped out to
the six-run lead by scoring three times in each of the first two
innings. Junior catcher Erin Ross (Manalapan,
N.J./Manalapan) drove in one run in the first, while two
more came home on a Suffolk error. The big blow in the second was a
two-run single by rookie pitcher Caroline Miller (Bala
Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton).
Suffolk (10-11) broke through in
the fifth inning on a two-run home run by senior CF Marie Trainor
(Winthrop, Mass./Winthrop). It was her fourth of the season. The
Rams then produced the big inning of the game in the sixth, when
they took advantage of Brandeis wildness to score seven runs on
just two hits. Three Brandeis pitchers combined to issue five walks
and hit one batter in the frame, scoring their first three runs
without a hit. Trainor gave the Rams a 7-6 lead with a two-run
single, while rookie catcher Karina Bolster (Carlisle,
Pa./Cumberland Valley) also had a two-run hit that gave the
visitors a three-run lead.
The Judges cut into the lead in
the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single by rookie 1B
Marianne Specker (So. Windsor, Conn./Westminster
School). They went on to tie it in the bottom of the
seventh, and had an excellent opportunity to win the game. After a
pair of singles put runners on the corners with one out, sophomore
2B Melisa Cagar (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) plated
the tying run, putting runners on first and second. A passed ball
moved both runners into scoring position, and rookie RF
Samantha Gajewski (Eldridge, Md./Long Reach)
walked to load the bases. Suffolk got out of the inning, however,
by turning a line-drive into a double play.
Suffolk scored the game-winning
run in the top of the eighth as Trainor produced her fifth RBI of
the game, a one-out sacrifice fly. They then made a pair of nice
defensive plays in the bottom of the inning, including a line-drive
to third base that was snared by sophomore Monica Cioffi (E.
Boston, Mass./E. Boston) that was the second out of the inning.
In the nightcap, the Judges
wasted little time in defeating Suffolk, scoring four runs in the
second, five more in the third and two in the fourth. Sophomore 1B
Courtney Kelley (Leicster, Mass./Notre Dame Acad.)
was the big hitter for Brandeis, going 2-2 with six RBI. She
produced a two-run triple in the second inning and then had a grand
slam home run to highlight the third. It was her second home run of
the season and the sixth of her career. Cagar also went deep in the
third, a solo shot, as she finished 2-3 with two RBI on the day.
Rookie RF Lara Hirschler (Bellmore, N.Y./John F.
Kennedy) was the only other multiple hitter for the
Judges, going 2-3 with two runs scored as Brandeis needed just 10
hits to amass their 11 runs.
GAME
ONE BOX SCORE
GAME
TWO BOX SCORE
