ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. - The Brandeis softball team tossed a
pair of shutouts today on the second day of the University Athletic
Association (UAA) tournament. The Judges defeated Rochester, 8-0,
and Case Western Reserve University, 11-0, to improve to 5-1
overall and 3-1 in the UAA. Only midway through the tournament, the
Judges have already won more UAA conference games in a season than
in any season since 2003.
Against Rochester, the senior hurler Emily
Vaillette (Milford, N.H./Milford) shut down the
Yellowjackets over six innings of work. She allowed just four hits,
striking out six and walking just one for her seventh career
shutout. Vaillette did not allow a runner past second base and
never had more than one UR player on base at a time.
Offensively, the top two hitters in the lineup, junior 2B
Melisa Cagar (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) and
sophomore 3B Brittany Grimm (Perkiomenville,
Pa./Perkiomen Valley) were the stars. The two produced all the runs
the Judges would need before Rochester even recorded an out. Cagar
opened the game with a single, stole second and came home on
Grimm's second home run in as many days, a blast to center field.
Cagar went on to go 3-for-4 on the day with three runs scored and
four stolen bases, while Grimm was 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Brandeis also got big hits from junior CF Carly
Schmand (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman), who had a two-run
double in the fourth inning; and senior SS Chelsea
Korp (Worcester, Mass./Holy Name), who doubled and scored
in the three-run sixth inning. The game ended on an RBI single by
sophomore LF Marianne Specker (So. Windsor,
Conn./Westminster School) with one away in the sixth.
Senior catcher Juliana Nicholson (Webster, N.Y./Webster Thomas)
was the top performer for Rochester, going 2-for-2 with a double.
In the second game of the day, three Brandeis hurlers combined
to toss a three-hitter against Case, 11-0. Rookie Caroline
Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) gave up two hits in the
first inning, but the Spartans only had four base runners after
that. Senior Allie Mussen (Franklin Square,
N.Y./Carey) tossed three innings of one-hit ball, allowing one walk
and one hit-by-pitch, while rookie Kelliann Kirby
(Framingham, Mass./Marion) had a perfect sixth inning with a K in
her first appearance in the circle.
Offensively for the Judges, rookie DH Stacy
Berg (Owings Mills, Md./McDonough) shined, going 3-for-4
with five RBI, two runs scored, a double and her third home run of
the season. Berg's two-run blast in the third inning doubled the
Judges' lead from 2-0 to 4-0.
Brandeis got all the scoring they would need in the top of the
first. With one away, Grimm doubled to left-center field and scored
on a single through the hole at shortstop. Schmand singled and
moved to second on a bunt in the second, scoring on one of three
Spartan errors to put the Judges ahead 2-0.
Berg singled home a run in the fourth and smacked a two-run
double in the sixth, while sophomore Lara
Hirschler (Bellmore, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) added an RBI
two-bagger of her own. Kirby and sophomore Samantha
Gajewski (Elkridge, Md./Long Reach) added RBI in the
five-run sixth as the Judges closed out the contest an inning early
thanks to the eight-run rule. Grimm and Specker also had multi-hit
games for the Judges.
Junior Beth Andrasik (Sagamore Hills, Ohio/Nordonia) suffered
the loss for Case, falling to 3-4 on the season.
Brandeis will face Emory University tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., and
attempt to avenge their only UAA loss of the season so far.
BRANDEIS-ROCHESTER BOX SCORE
BRANDEIS-CASE BOX SCORE
