NORTON, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team scored two runs in the top of the eighth as five different pitchers held the host Wheaton College Lyons in check, allowing the Judges to escape with a 4-3 non-conference win on Slidell Stadium. The Judges have now won seven of their last eight contests. 

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 16-11.
• Wheaton: 18-8.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wheaton struck first in the second inning. The Lyons loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk, and scored on an RBI grounder to second by Evan Jones.
• Brandeis first-year starter Tyler Chen (Livingston, N.J. / Livingston) induced a pop-up to leave two runners in scoring position, a running theme in this game, as Wheaton stranded 13 runners.
• The Judges answered in the top of the third when junior 2B Matt Chafin (Canton, Mass./Canton) drove in first-year SS Noah Koong (Sammamish, Wash./Eastlake), but the visitors also stranded a pair, leaving the game tied a 1-all.
• Wheaton got two runs back in the top of the third, taking the lead on a Brayden Lewis homer to left-center field. Robbie Lamond doubled home a run later in the inning, but sophomore reliever Rohan Shah (Hicksville, N.Y. / Hicksville) came on after Chen and got a strikeout and ground out to limit the damage.
• The Judges scratched a run back in the sixth, when Chafin was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by sophomore 1B Danny Tambascia (Newton, Mass./Newton North), but the Judges were unable to strike further.
• Brandeis's third reliever, first-year Brady Ross (Rye, N.Y. / Harrison), worked out of a jam in the seventh, as the Judge defense cut down a run at the plate on a squeeze play with runners on second on third. After a walk loaded the bases, Ross got a pair of called third strikes to leave the bases loaded.
• The Judges broke through in the top of the eighth without benefit of a hit. Chafin was in the middle of things again, reaching on an error to lead off the inning. He moved to second on a walk to Tambascia, and a sacrifice bunt put both runners in scoring position.
• Junior DH Mano Boutsikakis (Astoria, N.Y./Xavier) hit a deep fly to center that scored Chafin with the tying run and moved Tambascia to third, enabling him to score what proved to be the winning run on a passed ball.
• Brandeis graduate student Malcolm Hsu (Cupertino, Calif. / St. Francis) retired the side in order in the eighth, and first-year Jackson Herzog (New York, N.Y. / Dalton School) pitched the ninth to earn the save, but not without some drama.
• Wheaton's Logan Downey led off the frame with a double and moved to second on a fly out to right. The next batter also flew out to right, but the Lyons decided not to test Brandeis first-year defensive replacement Cooper Brundige (Westport, Conn. / Staples), who threw a strike to the plate. Herzog then got a three-pitch strikeout to end the game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges won despite getting outhit, 9-6, with first-year outfielder Bobby Quill (Raynham, Mass./Bridgewater-Raynham Regional) getting two of their hits and adding a stolen base.
• Chafin was responsible for three of the team's runs, going 1-3 and getting hit by a pitch. He had two runs scored and an RBI.
• Brandeis pitchers struck out nine and walked five, allowing just the three earned runs in the first three innings.
• Ross earned his first collegiate decision and win with his two innings of two-hit ball, striking out three with a walk. Herzog got his second save of the campaign with an inning of one-hit ball and one strikeout.
• The win was Brandeis's second-straight one-run victory after dropping their first five games decided by that margin.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will play host to #15-ranked Washington University in a four-game University Athletic Association series starting on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.