From Brandeis University Athletics/Worcester State Athletics
The Brandeis University Judges scored five runs in the top of the 7th inning and another in the 9th inning to close out a 7-2 victory over the Worcester State University Lancers Tuesday afternoon at the Lyons Diamond. With their fifth-straight win, the Judges improve to 13-15-1 and match last season's win total. The Lancers drop to 10-19.
Brandeis' Sam Miller (Sudbury, Mass.) registered his fourth win of the season on the mound, as he pitched a complete game and only allowed two runs (one unearned) on seven hits and striking out four. It was his third CG of the season and the eighth of his career. Registering hits from Miller was Worcester's Adam Barry (Auburn, Mass.) and Mike Powers (Weymouth, Mass.) who both went 2-for-4, while Jake Ryan(Northbridge, Mass.) (double), Mike Ferrara (Easton, Mass.), and Brian Bonacquisti (Pittsfield, Mass.) came up with the others.
Offensively for Brandeis, Ryan Healy (Carlsbad, Calif./La Costa Canyon) went 4-for-5 with three doubles, two runs and two RBI. It was his second game of the season with three two-baggers, and Healy now has 16 on the season, tied for ninth on the single-season list and three short of the school record, held by four different players.
Luke Zeccola (Garden City, N.Y./Chaminade) batted .500 (2-4) with a double, while Benjamin Bavly (Newton, Mass./Newton South), Greg Heineman (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regiona), and Max Hart (Montville, Conn./Montville) went 2-for-3. Heineman logged a double, while Bavly marked a game-high with two stolen bases.
On the Lancers' end, Owen Gibbons (Sterling, Mass.) suffered the loss as he gave up three runs on seven hits, and struck out three at the plate. Neil Begley (Springfield, Mass.) relieved Gibbons in the sixth inning, pitching 2.2 innings and allotted four runs (two unearned) on six hits.
Brandeis took the lead in the second inning as Liam O'Connor (Avon, Conn./Avon) batted Ryan Tettemer (Westfield, Mass./Suffield Acad.) in after he reached on a fielder's choice early in the inning. Worcester State responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth when Ryan scored an unearned run on a Judge fielding error.
The game was knotted up until the bottom of the sixth when Worcester had three back-to-back singles from Ferrara, Powers, and Bonacquisti to score for their first advantage of the game.
Worcester didn't hold the lead for long, as the Judges came back and mastered the top of the 7th as they scored five runs on six hits and one Lancer error. O'Connor started the hitting with a single to third base, and then Bavly came up next with a single to load two men on base. Heineman started the scoring as he hit an RBI-double to right center, and then Healy hit another for two more runs. The Judges scored two more runs in the inning – one on a passed ball and one on a fielding error, then concluded the game with another in the top of the 9th inning.