WALTHAM, Mass. - Brandeis University junior Drew Brzozowski (Concord, Mass./Concord-Carlisle) struck out a career-high 10 Endicott College batters today, throwing 8.1 innings of three-hit ball as the Judges blanked the Gulls, 4-0, on Stein Diamond today.
Brzozowski, whose earlier career-high was eight strikeouts, retired the side in order in five of the eight innings he completed and struck out the side in the second. He had one walk and hit a batter, but did not allow a runner past second base. With the win, Brzozowski improves to 5-1 in seven starts this season.
Brandeis (15-19) got all the scoring they would need in the fourth inning with two runs on three hits. After rookie CF Sean O'Hare (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional) singled, stole second and moved to third on a ground-out, junior DH Drake Livada (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Cape Elizabeth) kept up his hot streak with an RBI double. He scored two batters later on a two-bagger by junior 2B Jon O'Brion (Portland, Maine/Portland). For Livada, it was his sixth-straight multi-hit game, raising his batting average from .290 to .367 in that span.
The Judges add runs in the sixth and eighth innings without a hit. In the sixth, a walk, two hit batters and an error brought home sophomore 1B Pat Nicholson (E. Walpole, Mass./Walpole). In the eighth, after back-to-back walks, junior C Artie Posch (Hopedale, Mass./Hopedale) tagged and scored from second base as EC senior RF Alex Judge (Wilton, Conn./Wilton) made a fine diving catch on a line drive off the bat of O'Hare.
Endicott (15-20) got three of their four hits by rookie SS Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson), including a seventh-inning double. Petrides also stole a base. Sophomore Michael Drinkwater (Hamilton, Mass./Hamilton-Wenham) suffered the loss for the Gulls, going 3.2 innings and giving up four hits and two earned runs. He fanned two and did not walk a batter.
Brandeis is next in action on Sunday afternoon when they host the defending national champions, No. 6 Trinity College, at 12 noon. Endicott closes their regular-season with a TCCC twin-bill tomorrow against Nichols College, also at noon.