From Brandeis University Athletics

The Brandeis University baseball team made their home debut under new head coach Derek Carlson '91 today and the Judges won a back-and-forth 9-7 decision over Bridgewater State University on Stein Diamond today. The Judges improve to 8-9, while the Bears fall to 6-8.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The see-saw affair saw the lead change hands four times and the trailing team tied it up three other times.
• All nine Brandeis starters had hits and seven of them scored runs.
• Rookie 2B Benjamin Bavly (Newton, Mass./Newton South) delivered the game-winning hit, an RBI triple in the bottom of the eighth inning that drove in senior SS Jay Schaff (Cheshire, Conn./Xavier). Bavly then scored the Judges' final run on a wild pitch.
• Bavly's triple was his fifth of the season, tying a school single-season record set in 1979 by George Banks.
• Graduate student Rob Trenk (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) had three RBI on the day, tying the game in the second inning with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot.
• It was Trenk's first home since his freshman season of 2012.
• Trenk also gave the Judges a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning with an RBI double. He reached base in his two other plate appearances on walks.
• Senior CF Liam O'Connor (Avon, Conn./Avon) added two RBI in the sixth inning with a single, putting the Judges ahead, 6-5.

BIG DAY FOR BSU's KEAGHAN AUSTIN

• The Brandeis win spoiled a monster day by BSU right fielder Keaghan Austin. Austin went 4-5 with a career-high six RBI, plating all but one of the Bears' runs.
• Austin opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first.
• After the Bears fell behind, 3-2, Austin doubled in two runs in the third.
• Not done yet, Austin went deep twice to lead off innings, giving Bridgewater State a 5-4 lead in the fifth and tying the game at 6-6 in the seventh.
• They were his first two home runs of the season.
• Austin wasn't involve in BSU's final run, a Ryan Kelleher RBI ground out in the eighth that tied the game at 7-7 to set up Bavly's heroics.

PITCHING PERFORMANCES

• Senior Sam Miller (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) got the start for the Judges and gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) in four innings of work. He struck out one and walked two.
• Sophomore Ryan Pocock (Westford, Mass./Westford) earned his first collegiate win with four innings of five-hit ball. He allowed three earned runs – including both of Austin blasts – but struck out four without walking a batter.
• Senior Ryan Healy (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) earned his second save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. 
• BSU's Samuel Devine started and went 5.1 innings with seven hits and six runs (four earned) allowed. He fanned six and walked four.
• Colin Josselyn suffered the loss, going two innings and giving up five hits and three earned runs with two Ks.