From Brandeis University Athletics

Brandeis University senior centerfielder Liam O'Connor (Avon, Conn./Avon) drove in three runs, and classmate and catcher Connor Doyle (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) had two doubles as the Judges earned their first tie in a decade today, 8-8 in 12 innings at Salem State University.

Mike Davis and Richard Fecteau each homered for SSU as the Vikings rallied from a 6-0 deficit. Davis hit a two-out, two-run homerun in the 11th inning to tie the game again and force a 12th inning. Salem State's records moves to 5-8-1 while Brandeis stands at 8-9-1.

Will Twiss (Middleton, MA) worked quickly as he kept the Judges scoreless in the first four innings and recorded two strikeouts in the process. However, he ran into trouble in the fifth inning as he allowed back-to-back singles from the first two batters of the inning. With a man on first and second, Ryan Tettemer(Westfield, Mass./Suffield Acad.) reached first base on a single to load the bases. With the next pitch, Twiss balked, which allowed Brandeis to score the first run of the game. Later in that inning, O'Connor added to the Judges lead with a grounder to first to score grad student Rob Trenk (West Orange, N.J./West Orange). Moments later, Benjamin Bavly (Newton, Mass./Newton South) enhanced Brandeis's lead to 3-0 with a line single over the head of Salem State left fielder Mike Davis.

Judges' starter Liam Coughlin (Townsend, Mass./Lowell Catholic) worked efficiently as his team gave him more run support in the sixth while Matthew Abrain relieved Twiss in the middle of the fifth. Doylereached on a single and was later brought in by a Tettemer single up the middle to raise the lead to 4-0. O'Connor brought Brandeis a 6-0 advantage when he doubled, bringing in two Judges. The Vikings got one back in the bottom of the sixth inning when Teghan Malionek brought in Davis, who had doubled down the third base line earlier in the inning. In the seventh, Rich Fecteau  cut the deficit to 6-2 with a solo homerun to right. Steve Leavitt  came on in relief for Abrain as he kept Brandeis off the scoreboard in the eighth to allow his team to cut into the deficit. In the bottom of the inning, Jose Cedano reached on an infield single that set up Davis, who brought him in with a double over the leftfielder's head to bring the score to 6-3. Davis later scored on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Galimi to draw the Vikings to within two, 6-4. Joe White pinch hit and hit a stroked a first pitch single to the right field gap. Next, Mac Daniel Singleton doubled to right field to put two men in scoring position for Dan Connors. With that opportunity he knotted the game at 6-6 with a two-run single that snuck past the second baseman. Next, Fecteau hit a ground-rule double over the left field fence that put Connors at third, but he was left stranded.

In the top of the ninth, Leavitt took care of the Judges to hold the score at 6-6. Ryan Healy (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Vanyon) also set Salem State down in order in the ninth inning to keep the game tied at 6-6. Pete Gonksi  came on in relief for Leavitt in the tenth inning. After a scoreless 10th Gonski surrendered two runs in the 11th inning, including a ground rule double to Healy who broke the tie. Also in the 11th Doyle brought in Healy with a double of his own to put the Judges ahead 8-6 in extra innings. However, in the bottom of the inning, Davis hit a two-run homerun to even the game at 8-8.

Davis finished 3-for-6 with a double, homerun, three RBI, and three runs scored. Fecteau added four hits, including a double and homerun for the Vikings. O'Connor went 3-for-5 with three RBI and Doyle collected three hits, including two doubles for Brandeis.   

Coughlin threw 7.0 innings, as he allowed 10 hits and recorded two strikeouts. Bradley Bousquet (Athol, MA/Athol) threw 0.2 innings while Healy pitched 2.1. O'Connor tossed 0.2 innings while rookie Daniel Schupper (Villanova, Pa./Harriton) threw the last 1.1 frames. Twiss went 5.2 innings as he gave up three earned runs on 10 hits. Leavitt pitched 2.2 innings while Gonski finished the last three innings.

Brandeis's tie was their first since April 6, 2006, when they also had an 8-8 draw. That came against Bentley University.