From Brandeis University Athletics
The Brandeis University softball team swept a doubleheader from visiting UMass Boston today on Marcus Field. The Judges got a pair of dramatic home runs to win the opener, 10-9, in eight innings, then got three more blasts in a 10-6 win in the nightcap. Brandeis evens their record at 12-12 with the win, UMass Boston falls to 4-18.
In game one, the Judges trailed, 6-1, after four-and-a-half innings, but got within one run after scoring twice in the fifth and sixth innings. In the bottom of the seventh, rookie center fielder Amanda Shore (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) drilled a lead-off home run the opposite way to right field, tying the game at 6-all. It was her third home of the season.
The Beacons responded with three runs in the top of the eighth, as sophomore Gia Raczkowski (Stoneham, Mass./Stoneham) drove in the courtesy runner with one out. After an error on a bunt by rookie Lauren Mitsiaris (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) put runners on the corners, an errant pick-off attempt of Raczkowski skittered down the left field line, allowing both UMB players to score and put the visitors ahead, 9-6.
In the bottom of the eighth, the Judges wasted little time in getting their courtesy runner home, as sophomore Leah Shapiro (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) dropped one on the line in left for a double. Shapiro moved to third on a grounder and scored on junior Madison Sullivan's (Dover, N.H./Dover) base hit. That brought up sophomore DP Allison Hecht (Melville, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East), who launched a 2-2 pitch from Beacon senior Michelle Zullo (Everett, Mass./Everett) over the fence in right, making her first collegiate home run a walk-off shot.
The teams combined for 25 hits, with Brandeis owning a 13-12 edge. Eight different players had multi-hit games, with and Shore for Brandeis and Morrison for UMB each homering and driving in three runs.
Brandeis senior Nikki Cote (Shelton, Conn./St. Josephs) went the distance for the Judges to improve to 4-0 on the season. She struck out a career-high 11 and did not walk a batter in her 10th career complete game, the first of eight innings in her career. Cote gave up nine runs (five earned). Zullo suffered the loss for UMass Boston, giving up three hits and four runs (three earned) in relief. Kaera Wyse (Danvers, Mass./Essex Agricultural Tech) started for the Beacons and gave up 10 hits and six runs (four earned) in six innings of work.
In the nightcap, seniors Anya Kamber (Sammamish, Wash./Skyline) of Brandeis and Samantha Hemstock (Northford, Conn./North Branford) of UMass Boston played home run derby over the first five innings.
Kamber went deep as the second batter of the game for the home team to give the Judges a 2-0 lead.
UMB score a single run in the second, then got two two-run blasts by Hemstock, in the third and fifth innings, to give the visitors a 5-2 lead.
Kamber responded with her second round-tripper of the game to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning. Brandeis would end up scoring five times on seven hits in the frame, tying it on a squeeze bunt single by Madison Hunter(Parker, Colo./Legend) and going ahead on aggressive running by senior Cori Coleman (Burr Ridge, Ill./Hinsdale South), who scored on a line drive to right by junior Danielle Novotny (Milford, N.J./Delaware Valley).
UMass Boston closed to within a run when Raczkowski doubled to start the sixth and scored on a Lyndsey Capra (Lowell, Mass./Lowell) hit, but Brandeis got the final margin of victory when Coleman blasted a three-run homer to left in the bottom of the sixth, providing the final margin of victory.
Brandeis sophomore Samantha Wroblewski (Delray Beach, Fla./Spanish River) earned the win to improve to 5-10 on the season. She gave up eight hits in seven innings, striking out three and walking one as she allowed six runs (four earned). Zullo suffered her second defeat of the day to fall to 2-9 on the season.