Brandeis Tops Salem State Twice

WALTHAM, Mass. – Sydney Chiasson's leadoff bunt (Hudson, Mass.) was the only hit for the Vikings off Brandeis starter Sydney Goldman (Sherman Oaks, Calif) as the Judges topped the Vikings, 8-0 in five innings in the first game of their doubleheader on Friday. In game two, Salem State managed just four hits, two by Payton Jeffers (Holly Ridge, N.C.) as Brandeis completed the sweep with a 4-2 win.

In Game One, Goldman continued her stellar season, allowing just one hit and allowed just one more baserunner the rest of the way, hitting a batter that was erased when she tried to steal second. Goldman struck out 11 of the 16 SSU batters she faced, lowering her UAA-leading ERA to 0.27.

Offensively, Brandeis got all the scoring they would need on an RBI double by senior CF Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) in the third inning. Back-to-back doubles by rookie DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla. / The Benjamin School) and sophomore catcher Tara Striggow (Cape Coral, Fla. / Cape Coral) in the fourth produced two more runs, as did an SSU error. After rookie 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y. / Bethlehem Central) drove in a run in the fifth, sophomore pinch hitter Sophia Micale (Winchester, Mass. / Winchester) slugged a bases-loaded double that brought in all three runners and ended the game.

Emily Carter (Warwick, R.I.) took the loss on the mound for Salem State, allowing eight runs - seven earned - on eight hits with four walks and a pair of strikeouts.

In Game Two, rookie Rebecca Guerci (Roslyn, N.Y. / Herricks) continued the Judges' excellence in the circle, keeping Salem State at bay through the first four innings and allowing just one runner past first base. Brandeis opened the scoring in the third with a one-out solo home run by Rothenberg, while Nash delivered a solo shot with one down in the fourth. It was the third homer of the season for both players, tops on the team. Sophomore 1B Jamie Pippin  (Redmond, Wash. / Lake Washington) added an RBI double in the fourth to make it 3-0.

SSU broke through for their first runs of the day in the top of the fifth. The Vikings loaded the bases on two hit batters and a single by RF Rebecca Walker. With two down, Chiasson singled to the opposite field, plating two runners to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Brandeis got one run back in the bottom of the inning when junior 2B Marley Felder (Miami, Fla./American Heritage School) singled and stole second. Felder then scored all the way from second when Cohen's fly ball sent the SSU centerfielder all the way to the warning track. Brandeis closed things out with an outstanding 6-4-3 double play to end the sixth and survived with runners on the corners and two away in the seventh. Guerci improved to 3-0 on the season with her third complete game. She allowed four hits and two earned runs, striking out two with two walks and two hit batters. SSU's Sierra Ricci fell to 1-2 on the campaign with six innings of seven-hit ball, striking out five, walking two and allowing six earned runs.

Sierra Ricci (Greene, R.I.) went the distance on the hill for the Vikings, giving up four runs on seven hits with two walks and five K's.

(With contributions for Brandeis Sports Information)