BEVERLY, Mass. – Five Brandeis University baseball pitchers combined to hold the top-ranked Endicott College Gulls to two runs on seven hits, but the hosts' hurlers were even better, blanking the Judges on three hits as EC took a 2-0 win on their home turf today. The #1 Gulls are coached by Brandeis alumnus
Bryan Haley '99.
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis: 4-18.
- Endicott: 22-1, ranked #1 in Division III by D3Baseball.com/NCBWA.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Gulls got all the scoring they would need in the second inning, thanks to a lead-off hit batter and back-to-back singles by CF Zach Stephenson and catcher James Benestad that produced their first run.
- Endicott's Nicholas Cannata was in control on the mound, facing just one batter over the minimum over the first eight innings.
- The Judges' lone baserunner was first-year 2B Dylan Walsh (Arlington, Mass./Arlington), who singled up the middle with two outs in the fifth. He stole second but was stranded there.
- EC tacked on an insurance run in the eighth that it looked like they might need when shortstop TJ Liponis singled home 3B Robbie Wladowski.
- After being held to one hit through the first eight innings, the Judges threatened in the ninth. First-year SS Matt Chafin (Canton, Mass./Canton) led off with a double down the left-field line. That chased Cannata from the game and brought out reliever Evan Scully.
- After getting his first two batters out, Scully issued a four-pitch walk to Brandeis senior Mike DICenso (Cranston, R.I./Moses Brown) and a single to left by grad student Eddie Zanor (Branford, Conn./Notre Dame-West Haven) that loaded the bases. Scully preserved the shutout and earned the save with a swinging third strike to help the Gulls improve to 15-0 at home this season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Chafin's double was the only extra-base hit of the game, while Endicott's Liponis and Benestad were the only players with multiple hits.
- Junior James Murphy (Providence, R.I./Moses Brown) was saddled with the loss despite giving up just two hits and one earned run in two innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.
- First-years Jansen Landen (Swampscott, Mass./Austin Prep) and Dimitri Skourides (Arlington, Mass./Winchendon School) were effective in relief, each throwing two scoreless innings. Jansen held EC hitless, issuing two walks and striking out one. Skourides allowed one hit and hit a batter.
- First-year Kyle Murray (West Roxbury, Mass./Boston Latin) added a scoreless two-hit frame, while Zanor allowed two hits, a walk and a run in one inning of action.
- Cannata improved to 2-1 on the season for Endicott, throwing eight innings of two-hit ball. He struck out four and did not walk a batter. Scully picked up his first save of the season, allowing a hit and a walk, but getting a pair of strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- The Judges are scheduled to open a four-game University Athletic Association series with NYU on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.