WELLESLEY, Mass. – On a day that featured numerous brief
rain showers, the Brandeis University baseball team defeated host
Babson College, 10-5, today. Originally scheduled to be played at
Brandeis, the game was switched to Babson to take advantage of
better field conditions. Brandeis improved to 9-18 and snapped a
seven-game losing streak with the victory, while Babson fell to
18-11 on the campaign.
The Judges opened the scoring in the second inning with three
runs. With runners on the corners and one away, sophomore OF
Zach Malis (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) opened the
scoring with a sacrifice fly to left field. Two batters later,
after a walk to junior CF Tony Deshler (Pepperell,
Mass./Lawrence Acad.) , senior 2B James Likis
(Cambridge, Mass./Cambridge Rindge and Latin) drove a two-run
double to right-center field to give Brandeis a 3-0 lead.
Babson responded in the bottom of the frame. After Brandeis
senior righty Drew Brzozowski (Concord,
Mass./Concord-Carlisle) issued a lead-off walk, Beaver rookie DH
Chris Kucher (Westwood, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) blasted the first
pitch he saw off a tree over the centerfield fence for his sixth
home run of the season.
Babson claimed their first lead in the bottom of the third with
a pair of unearned runs. Senior CF Peter O'Toole (Salem,
Mass./St. Johns Prep) led off with a single, and after a Brzozowski
strikeout, sophomore 1B Travis Jonasson (Needham, Mass./Catholic
Memorial) reached on an error when confusion caused the middle
infielders to miss a ball up the middle. An errant pick-off attempt
put both runners in scoring position, but Brzozowski induced a
come-backer to the mound to get the second out of the inning.
Kucher followed and laced a 2-2 pitch to deep centerfield, giving
the Beavers a 4-3 lead. Junior 2B Billy Besinger followed and hit
the first pitch he saw to right field to give the hosts a 5-3 lead.
Brzozowski settled down at that point, retiring 12 of the last 15
hitters he faced.
Brandeis tied the game in the top of the fifth inning. With one
away, sophomore 3B Jon Chu (Hollis Hills,
N.Y./Bronx H.S. of Science) doubled down the right-field line.
Rookie catcher Chris Ferro (Walpole,
Mass./Walpole) singled up the middle to put runners on the corners.
Senior DH Artie Posch (Hopedale,
Mass./Hopedale) plated Chu with a single to right, and Ferro
came home on a double steal, scoring while Posch was caught in a
pickle out to tie the game. Babson had a chance to go ahead in the
bottom of the fifth when Kucher drew a two-out walk. Besinger
followed with a drive to center field, but Likis took a cut-off
throw from Deshler and gunned Kucher down at the plate.
The bottom of the order helped the Judges score what proved to
be the winning run in the sixth and add some insurance in the
seventh. In the sixth, senior RF John
O'Brion (Portland, Maine/Portland), batting eight,
singled to third and moved to second on a throwing error.
Nine-hitter Malis followed with a bunt back to the mound, and pinch
runner Nick Cortese (Guaynabo, P.R./Baldwin School
of Puerto Rico) beat the throw to third. Deshler then lined a 1-2
pitch to right, allowing Cortese to come home with the go-ahead
run. After Malis stole second, the Beavers made a couple of
nice plays in the outfield to strand him in scoring position. In
the top of the seventh, Brandeis tacked on four insurance runs with
two outs when Cortese dropped a single right on the left-field line
followed by a three-run home run to the opposite field by Malis. It
was his second of the season and his career, making the score the
10-5 final.
Brzozowski earned the win with seven innings of six-hit ball He
struck out four and walked three, allowing five runs, only two of
which were earned. Brzozowski improved to 3-5 on the season with
his third complete game of the season and the sixth of his career.
Junior reliever Austin Dadio (Branford, Conn./Branford) suffered
the loss, his first decision of the season, giving up six hits and
five runs (four earned) in 2.1 innings of work. Sophomore Trevor
MacNeill (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) got a no-decision in 4.2 innings
of action, allowing nine hits, five earned runs, striking out three
and walking one.
Offensively, the Judges were paced by Malis, who drove in four
runs in just two official at-bats, thanks to a sac fly, sacrifice
bunt and a three-run home run. Junior Eric
Rosenberg (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) went 4-for-4 with a
double and two runs scored. Chu and O'Brion also had multiple
hits.
Babson was led by Kucher, who was 2-for-2 with a walk, a home, a
double, two runs scored and four RBI. Bessinger was 3-for-3 with an
RBI, but the rest of the Beaver line-up managed just one other hit
in 20 at-bats.
Originally planned as a twinbill, today's second game was
called in the top of the fifth inning after a 30-minute rain delay.
Brandeis had scored twice to take a 5-3 lead in the frame, but
violent rain and hail rendered the field too wet to continue,
forcing the game to revert to a 3-3 tie short of an official game.
Brandeis returns to action against Amherst College on Tuesday at
3:30 p.m., while Babson faces Wentworth Institute of Technology
tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. in a game rescheduled from March 30.
BRANDEIS-BABSON BOX SCORE
Images from this game will be available during the week at www.sportspix.biz.
