WALTHAM, Mass. – The 21st-ranked Brandeis
University softball team improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine
contests today with a pair of wins over visiting WPI. The Judges
opened the day with a 10-1 win in six innings thanks to two home
runs by rookie DP Stacy Berg (Owings Mills,
Md./McDonough), who drove in three more runs to in a 12-4
five-inning win in the nightcap. Brandeis improves to 15-4-1
overall with the sweep, while the Engineers drop to 11-12 on the
campaign.
Berg was the day's big hitter, going 5-for-8 with seven RBI,
five runs scored and two home runs, both coming in game one. She
went deep in the first to make the score 2-0 and again in the
fourth to put the Judges ahead 7-1. Berg now leads the team with
six round-trippers and 29 RBI on the season.
Junior 1B Courtney Kelley (Leicester,
Mass./Notre Dame Acad.) had just two hits on the day – one in
each game - but she drove in five runs in the process. Kelley had a
sacrifice fly in game two and produced two walk-off hits that
invoked the eight-run rule in both contests. Kelley hit a long home
run to center field to end game one in the sixth inning, her third
blast of the campaign and the 13th of her career. In the
second contest, she had a two-run single to end the game in the
bottom of the fifth.
In all, the Judges scored runs in eight of today's 11 innings,
putting up crooked numbers in seven of them. Brandeis was able to
take advantage of eight WPI miscues on the afternoon to score 12
unearned runs, including 10 the second game. Brandeis got fine
starting pitching performances. Senior Emily
Vaillette (Milford, N.H./Milford) improved to 8-3 in the
opener with five innings of two-hit ball, striking out seven and
walking just one. In game two, sophomore Caroline
Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton), who allowed just three
hits in five innings of work, giving up four runs (three earned) in
the second inning of game two when she walked three batters,
improving to 4-1 in the process.
For WPI on the day, junior RF Kim Martilla (Kings Park,
N.Y./Kings Park) and rookie LF Katrina Boynton (Balston Lake,
N.Y./Shenendowha) each had two of their team's six hits. Boynton
and junior 1B Sarah Johnson (Eastham, Mass./Nauset Regional) each
doubled, while senior CF Kelly Johnson (Buxton, Maine/Bonny Eagle)
had a key two-run single in game two that tied the game at 4-4 in
the second inning.
Both teams' next games come against Worcester-area foe Clark
University. WPI faces the Cougars in a NEWMAC twin-bill Friday at 3
p.m., while the Judges host them Saturday at noon.
BRANDEIS-WPI GAME ONE BOX SCORE
BRANDEIS-WPI GAME TWO BOX SCORE
(photo above courtesy Sportspix; from today's games will be
available at sportspix.biz)
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