Baseball's win streak halted at nine with 12-4 loss to JWU

Liam O'Connor '16 (photo by Sportspix.com/Mike Tureski)
Liam O'Connor '16 (photo by Sportspix.com/Mike Tureski)

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team gave up six runs in the first inning and another five in the third and the Judges never recovered today in a 12-4 loss at the hands of Johnson and Wales University. The loss drops the Judges to 17-16-1 on the season and snaps their nine-game winning streak. JWU improves to 21-13 with the win.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • After sophomore Ryan Pocock (Westford, Mass./Westford) opened the game with a strikeout, the next six Wildcat batters reached safely.
  • The game's first run came on a bases-loaded walk to Dave Matthews (Newtown, Conn. / Newtown) and the second scored on a wild pitch.
  • Frank D'Amato (Lincoln, RI / Lasalle) and Jordan Pilarski (Garnet Valley, Pa. / Garnet Valley) followed with RBI singles to make it 4-0 and chasing Pocock.
  • Ty Karalis (Seekonk, Mass. / St. Raphael) greeted junior Anthony Nomakeo (Westfield, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon) with a two-run double to cap the scoring before Nomakeo recorded the next two outs.
  • Brandeis got one run back in the bottom of the frame when senior Liam O'Connor (Avon, Conn./Avon) singled to lead off the game, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on a single to right by senior Greg Heineman (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnechaug Regional).
  • Johnson and Wales increased their lead in the second, with five more runs on five hits. Pilarski and Tom Elkow (Morganville, NJ / St. Rose) both had RBI singles, while Lou Umberto (Cranston, RI / Hendricken) struck a sacrifice fly to right.
  • The final two runs came home on wild pitches.
  • O'Connor scored Brandeis's second run with a one-out infield single. He moved to third when Benjamin Bavly's (Newton, Mass./Newton South) grounder to second was booted, but Bavly was caught off first base when the relay from left to third was cut off. O'Connor went on to score on a wild pitch.
  • Brandeis relievers Bradley Bousquet (Athol, Mass./Athol) and Daniel Schupper (Villanova, Pa./Harriton) kept the Wildcats at bay through the seventh inning.
  • Bousquet tossed a scoreless fourth, working around a walk and a single.
  • Schupper retired eight of the first nine hitters he faced in the  fifth through seventh innings, getting out of the fifth with a 1-6-3 double play. Schupper then stranded two runners on in the seventh.
  • Brandeis got a run in the bottom of the inning, on a one-out triple by Luke Zeccola (Garden City, N.J./Chaminade) and a sacrifice fly by Max Berner (Reistertown, Md. / Park School).
  • Both teams scored a single run in the eighth inning for the final 12-4 score.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Johnson and Wales outhit the Judges, 16-5.
  • Jordan Pilarski (3-4, 2 R, 2 RBI) and Ty Karalis (3-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B) were the big hitters for the visitors.
  • Liam O'Connor (2-3, 2 R, BB) and Greg Heineman (2-4, 2 RBI) combined for four of the Judges' five hits.
  • Jake Marchesseault (Wyoming, RI / Chariho) earned the win for the Wildcats, allowing three runs (two earned) on  four hits over seven innings of work. He struck out four and walked one to improve to 3-1 on the season.

UP NEXT

  • Brandeis travels to Hartford, Conn., to meet Trinity for  doubleheader on Sunday at noon.
  • JWU meets Bridgewater State tomorrow at home at 3 p.m.