WALTHAM, Mass. – By scoring in four of five innings before
a torrential downpour forced the end of the game, the Brandeis
University baseball team defeated visiting UMass Dartmouth, 11-6,
on Stein Diamond today. The Judges improve to 10-21 with the win,
while the Corsairs fall to 18-13.
Brandeis owned a 5-1 lead after three innings. Junior CF
Tony Deshler (Pepperell, Mass./Lawrence Acad.) led
off the game with a double and scored two batters later on a single
to center by sophomore 3B Jon Chu (Hollis Hills,
N.Y./Bronx H.S. of Science) to give the Judges a 1-0 lead. In the
second, rookie RF Nick Cortese (Guaynabo,
P.R./Baldwin School of Puerto Rico) drove in senior LF
Artie Posch (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) with a
two-out single to center.
The Judges put up a crooked
number in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by rookie
catcher Chris Ferro (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) and
back-to-back RBI singles by Posch and sophomore DH Kenny
Destremps (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee). Both hits came on 0-2
pitchers as the Judges took a 5-1 lead into the fourth.
UMass-Dartmouth – which had gotten on the board in the
second with an RBI ground-out by rookie RF Matt Worden (New
Bedford, Mass./New Bedford) out of the nine-hole in the order -
rallied in the top of the fourth. A key two-out error allowed
junior 1B Anthony Fiorita (No. Reading, Mass./St. Johns Prep) to
reach, followed by a Worden walk. Junior SS Ryan McDermott
(Pembroke, Mass./Pembroke) singled home Fiorita. Two batters later,
with the bases loaded, Brandeis junior John
McGrath (New York, N.Y./Trevor Day) hit Corsair senior CF
Jeff Macchi (Franklin, Mass./Franklin) with a pitch to drive in
UMD's third run. McGrath responded by getting Corsair junior DH Zak
Talis (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) – ranked third in the NCAA
in hitting with a .523 batting average – on a tapper back to
the hill.
Trailing 5-3, UMass Dartmouth claimed their first lead of the
game in the top of the fifth. With runners on first and second,
Fiorita cut the lead to 5-4 with an RBI single, while an overrun in
the outfield allowed runners to get to second and third. Worden had
his second productive out of the game with grounder to short that
plated the tying run, while McDermott smashed a double to right
field that gave the visitors the 6-5 advantage. McGrath got a foul
out end in the inning.
As the rain worsened in the bottom of the fifth, the Judges were
able to capitalize on the slippery ball by scoring six runs on
three hits and three UMD errors. Junior 1B Eric
Rosenberg (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) led off with a
single just past the third baseman and moved to second on a wild
pitch. Back-to-back Corsair errors – including one on a bunt
by senior 2B James Likis (Cambridge,
Mass./Cambridge Rindge and Latin) – loaded the bases,
bringing Destremps to the plate. He singled back through the
middle, driving home what proved to be the winning two runs. The
Judges added four more in tie including a sac fly by Chu and a
double by Ferro that closed out the scoring.
Brandeis had three multiple hitters on the day. Destremps went
2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, while Posch was 2-for-3
with a career-high three runs scored and an RBI. Chu went 2-for-3
with two RBI, a double, a sacrifice fly and a run scored. Deshler
and Ferro also had doubles for the Judges, with Deshler's being his
team-leading 11th of the season.
For UMass-Dartmouth, McDermott was 2-for-4 with a double and two
RBI, while Fiorita was 2-for-3 with one run driven in and one
scored. Worden also had two RBI with a walk and a run scored on the
day, despite not getting a hit.
On the hill, McGrath earned his first collegiate win with five
innings of work, allowing eight hits and six runs (four earned). He
struck out three, walked two and hit two batters. McGrath threw 86
pitches, 55 for strikes, in his first collegiate complete game. He
is now 1-3 on the season. Junior Shane Campbell suffered the loss
for the Corsairs, allowing 11 hits and nine runs (five earned) in
four innings. He had one strikeout out, no walks, and three wild
pitches.
These two teams are scheduled to meet again in Dartmouth on May
2. Brandeis returns to action tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m. against
Bowdoin College – coached by Michael Connolly '94 –
while UMass-Dartmouth travels to Norton, Mass., on Thursday to take
on rival Wheaton College at 3:30 p.m.
BRANDEIS-UMASS DARTMOUTH BOX SCORE
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