CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Brandeis University baseball team lost both ends of a tightly contested doubleheader against Case Western Reserve University during the weekend's opening UAA series of the season. Despite strong pitching performances and multiple late scoring opportunities, the Judges came up just short in both games, falling 3-2 in the opener and 2-1 in Game Two.
 
TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 8-8, 1-2 UAA.
• Case Western, 13-8, 2-1 UAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1 (Case Western Reserve 3, Brandeis 2)

• The Judges struck first in the second inning, capitalizing on an error and timely hitting. Sophomore Danny Tambascia (Newton, Mass./Newton North) reached and advanced before sophomore Keith Lee (Milford, Mass./Milford) delivered an RBI single to right, giving Brandeis a 1-0 edge.
• Brandeis added to its lead in the third. Sophomore Ben Kuja (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) singled and eventually came around to score on an RBI single from Tambascia, extending the advantage to 2-0.
• From there, pitching took over on both sides. Junior Dimitri Skourides (Arlington, Mass./Winchendon School) kept Case Western off the board through seven innings, working around scattered baserunners, including a triple in the fifth, to preserve the two-run lead.
• Meanwhile, the Judges struggled to generate additional offense against Spartans starter Charlie Griffith, who struck out nine over seven innings and limited Brandeis to just two runs.
• Case Western finally broke through in the eighth. After a single and a double put runners on second and third, a walk loaded the bases before Tyler Stillson delivered the decisive blow, lining a bases-clearing triple to left-center to give the Spartans a 3-2 lead.
• Brandeis threatened in the ninth, as a hit-by-pitch and a sacrifice bunt moved the tying run into scoring position, but Case Western reliever Zach Barnes recorded the final out to secure the win.
• Skourides took the loss for Brandeis, bringing his record to 2-1 on the season, despite tossing a complete game while allowing just three runs on four hits and striking out seven, the best of his career.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME TWO (Case Western Reserve 2, Brandeis 1)

• Case Western struck quickly in the first inning, using three hits and a Brandeis error to score a pair of runs and take a 2-0 lead.
• Brandeis had chances to respond early, putting runners in scoring position in the second inning, but could not capitalize.
• The Judges broke through in the sixth as Junior Connor Crowley (Guilford, Conn./Notre Dame-West Haven) reached on a throwing error and moved into scoring position before coming home on a sacrifice fly from Tambascia, trimming the deficit to 2-1.
• Brandeis threatened again in the eighth, as Kuja singled and advanced into scoring position, but Case Western worked out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the lead.
• The best chance came in the ninth. The Judges loaded the bases with one out on singles from Junior Matt Boutsikakis (Astoria, N.Y./Xavier) and sophomore Colby Harrington (W. Springfield, Mass./W. Springfield) and a fielder's choice, but the Spartans induced a pair of ground balls to escape and secure the win.
• Graduate student starter Jacob Maurer (Dayton, Ohio/Archbishop Carroll) took the loss for Brandeis, bringing his record down to 1-2 on the season, despite also throwing his best performance in a Judges uniform. He allowed just one earned run over 6 innings while striking out eight, and first-year Jackson Herzog (New York, N.Y./Dalton School) followed with 2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out three.

UP NEXT

• The Judges play the last game of their UAA series against Case Western Reserve University tomorrow, Sun. March 29th, with a first pitch at 10 a.m. – an hour earlier than originally scheduled.