BEVERLY, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team had a big third inning, but host Endicott rallied in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Judges, 9-8, on North field today. The loss snaps Brandeis's five-game winning streak as the Judges drop to 5-1, while the Gulls improved to 2-3.
After two quiet innings, Brandeis batted around in the third. The first five batters had hits, with junior DH Alex Parrott (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) tripling home the game's first run. Rookie center fielder Sam Nugent (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) plated Parrott, and three batters later, rookie third baseman Brian King (Palos Verde, Calif./Palos Verde) drew a bases loaded walk, chasing the EC starter from the game. The reliever issued a balk to score the fourth Brandeis run, and senior second baseman Victor Oppenheimer (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade) singled to short to bring in his team-leading 11th RBI of the season. An overthrow at short provided the team's sixth run of the frame.
Judge senior Greg Tobin (Medway, Mass./Catholic Memorial) cruised through the first four innings, but ran into troube in the fifth, surrendering a two-run triple and a bouncing ball through the left side that cut the Judges' lead in half to 6-3.
Brandeis added a run in the sixth inning when rookie shortstop Drew Michaud (Madison, Conn./Xavier) drove a ball to left field for his first career home run. Endicott got an unearned run back with a two-out single up the middle to make it 7-4. The Judges an unearned run of their own in the seventh, pushing their lead back to four runs at 8-4.
Judge junior reliever Mason Newman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) entered the game in the seventh inning, and after hitting his first batter, retired four in a row to reach the ninth. In the final frame, the Gulls loaded the bases on three straight seeing-eye hits. Brandeis rookie Christian Tejada (Providence, R.I./Bishop Hendricken) came in to try to close things out, but issued a walk and a two-run single as the hosts cut the lead to 8-7. After a bunt moved two runners into scoring position, Brandeis pulled the infield in. Tejada looked to get the second out on a hot shot to shortstop, but the ball got through and scored the tying run. Endicott then walked off with a suicide squeeze bunt to take the come-from-behind win.
Brandeis finished the game with 11 hits, but couldn't extend their streak of scoring 10-plus runs to six in a row. All nine Brandeis starters had at least one hit, with Nugent (2-5, 2 R, RBI) and Michaud (2-4, RBI, R, HR) each getting two. In addition to Parrott's triple and Michaud's homer, junior left fielder Tommy Sand (South Windsor, Conn./South Windsor) had a double. Tobin went 6.2 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs (three earned) with three strikeouts and two walks. Tejada took the loss in relief.
Endicott also had 11 hits, paced by center fielder John Duffy (3-4, 3 RBI, R, 3B) and second baseman Matt Bald (2-5, R, RBI). Matthew McKinley drove in the game-winning run with his bunt.
Brandeis will be back in action this weekend with four games, doubleheaders on Saturday against Bowdoin and Sunday against Western New England. Both DHs will start at noon at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Massachusetts.