Baseball falls to NYU, 2-1

Baseball falls to NYU, 2-1

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis baseball team suffered its second University Athletic Association (UAA) tournament loss on Monday, falling to NYU in a pitcher's duel, 2-1. The Judges fall to 2-6 overall, 0-2 in the UAA, while the Violets improve to 2-3, 1-1 UAA.

      Both starters in the contest went eight strong innings. For the Judges, rookie Sean O'Neill (Reading, Mass./Reading Memorial) threw eight frames for the second time in his career, allowing nine hits and two earned runs. He struck out two and walked one, but suffered the loss to fall to 1-1.

NYU's Cameron Serapilio-Frank outdueled Brenner, allowing just five hits and one unearned run in eight innings of work. He struck out five and did not issue a walk in picking up his first career win. The Violets' Matthew Millus retired the side and struck out two batters to earn his second save in as many NYU wins.

The Violets got on the board first in the second inning, when they loaded the bases on a single, a walk and a hit batter. O'Neill was able to limit the damage when he got Violet 2B Jeremy Wayne to fly to left field. Though the run came home from third, the Judges were able to cut the runner down trying to make it to third, ending the inning.

The game-winning run came with two out in the third, when CF Jake Smith tripled to left-center and scored on CJ Picerni's RBI hit to shortstop.

Brandeis got one run back in the fourth, when rookie DH Ryan Pocock (Westford, Mass./Westford) singled up the middle and sophomore 3B Greg Heineman (Avon, Conn./Avon Old Farms) followed with a double to left. Pocock scored on an NYU passed ball, but Serapilio-Frank stranded the tying run at third with a fly ball.

The Brandeis offense struggled after that. Senior 2B Rob Trenk (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) reached twice but was unable to advance. He singled in the fifth but was thrown out trying to steal. In the eighth, he was hit by a pitch, but pinch runner Sam Miller (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln-Sudbury) was stranded on second.

Brandeis returns to action Tuesday afternoon against Case Western Reserve at 2 p.m.

 

- 30 -