WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team was swept in a three-game series against No. 8 Washington University in St. Louis, after dropping both games of the doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, falling 9-0 in the opener and 6-4 in a competitive second game. Before the games, the Judges honored their five seniors playing in their final home games of the season.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 18-14, 5-7 UAA.
• Washington University, 22-3-1, 10-2 UAA, ranked #8 in Division III.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1 (WashU 9, Brandeis 0)

• Washington struck first after two scoreless innings, breaking through in the third with a big offensive rally.
• A leadoff double set the tone, and after a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third, an RBI single scored the first run of the game.
• The Bears kept the pressure on with aggressive baserunning, including a double steal that brought home another run, before a two-run home run capped the inning and gave Washington a 4-0 lead.
• Brandeis threatened early, with senior Erin Hunt (Wake Forest, N.C. / Franklin Academy), senior Maddie Manes (San Clemente, Calif. / San Juan Hills), and junior Katie Baydian (Massapequa, N.Y. / Our Lady of Mercy Acad.) recording hits over the first three innings, including a two-on situation in the second, but the Judges could not come up with a timely hit to break through.
• Washington added on in the fourth inning. After putting runners on base with a walk and a single, a sacrifice advanced them into scoring position, followed by an RBI single and an RBI double to extend the lead to 6-0.
• Brandeis sophomore relief pitcher Jamie Staub (Lawrenceville, N.J. / Hun School) struck out the side in the top of the fifth to prevent WashU from extending their lead further, but the Bears tacked on three more runs in the sixth inning. After a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base, an RBI single to center made it 7-0. A two-run double later in the inning extended the advantage to 9-0 and closed out the scoring.
• Hunt led the Judges offensively with two hits and a stolen base, while Baydian added another hit and stolen base. Despite putting runners on in multiple innings with four hits and three walks, the Judges were unable to string together the hits needed to generate runs.
• Senior starter Ragini Kannan (Westford, Mass. / Westford Academy) tossed 2.1 innings, allowing two hits and one earned run, earning the loss to bring her season record to 6-5, before Staub took over as relief. Staub pitched the remaining 3.2 innings, allowing eight hits and eight earned runs with four strikeouts.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 2 (WashU 6, Brandeis 4)

• WashU struck first in the opening inning, taking advantage of a Brandeis error to bring home an unearned run and grab a 1-0 lead.
• The Bears extended their advantage in the second, stringing together three hits, including a two-RBI single, to make it 3-0.
• Brandeis answered in the bottom half of the inning. After a single by Manes, first-year Mia Deck (Laguna Hills, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) delivered an RBI double to get the Judges on the board and cut the deficit to 3-1.
• The Judges broke through with a massive offensive rally in the third. Junior Brooke Boehmer (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mount Lebanon) led off with a single before sophomore Jordan Wallace (Howell, N.J./Choate Rosemary Hall (Conn.)) launched a two-run home run to tie the game. On the next at-bat, senior Bells Burdenski (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo) followed with a solo home run to give Brandeis a 4-3 lead.
• WashU responded in the fourth, tying the game at 4-4 with a single followed by an RBI double.
• After a scoreless fifth inning in which both teams stranded runners, the Bears regained the lead in the sixth. A leadoff home run put WashU back on top, and later in the inning, an RBI single following a Brandeis error added an insurance run to make it 6-4.
• Brandeis was unable to generate a late rally, going down in order in the sixth and stranding a runner in the seventh to end the game.
• First-year starter Madeline Jennings (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) pitched 4 innings, allowing 3 earned runs off six hits with one strikeout.
• Kannan came in as relief for the final three innings, allowing one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts, and was charged with the loss to fall to 6-6 on the season.
• Wallace and Burdenski led the offense with back-to-back home runs in the third, marking the Judges' third set of back-to-back homers this season, while Deck added an RBI double. 
• This was Burdenski's sixth home run of the season and Wallace's seventh of the season and second in this series, as she continues to lead the UAA in RBIs with 54 on the season.

 
SENIOR DAY

• Before the games, the Judges honored their five seniors making their final home appearances of the season
  • Outfielder Bells Burdenski (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo)
  • Designated Player Elle Ehrlich (Falls Church, Va./Meridian)
  • Outfielder Erin Hunt (Wake Forest, N.C./Franklin Academy)
  • Outfielder Maddie Manes (San Clemente, Calif./San Juan Hills)
  • Pitcher Ragini Kannan (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy)

UP NEXT

• The Judges head back on the road for another UAA series to face Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio beginning Friday, Apr. 24th with first pitch at 3 p.m.