NORTHBORO, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team continued its torrid scoring pace this afternoon as the Judges swept Wentworth Institute of Technology, 13-1 and 15-2 in a doubleheader at the New England Baseball Complex in Northboro. With the wins, the Judges have scored 10 or more runs in six of the last seven games, a stretch they have managed only two other times in program history, in 1998 and 1984. With the wins, the Judges improve to 7-2, while the Leopards fall to 3-10.
The Judges scored runs in nine of their 12 at-bats across the two games, with at least two runs in each of those scoring innings.
In game one, the top of the lineup was terrific, with junior 2B Victor Oppenheimer (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade), sophomore SS Mike Khoury (East Bridgewater, Mass./East Bridgewater) and sophomore 3B Isaac Fossas (Dudley, Mass./Milton Academy) combining to go 9-for-13 with nine RBI, nine runs scored, three doubles, two home runs and two stolen bases. Khoury's two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning was all the scoring the Judges needed on the day. It was his fourth home run in a span of three games, while Oppenheimer launched a two-run job in the sixth inning to close out the game's scoring. Fossas finished with two doubles on the day, including a two-run two-bagger in the second and another RBI double in the fifth.
The runs came in support of sophomore Mason Newman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle), who threw his first collegiate complete game. He scattered six hits over seven innings of work, striking out five and walking one. The only run he allowed was a third-inning home run to Wentworth DH Andrew Elliott. Newman threw 76 pitches, 51 for strikes to improve to 1-0 on the season and 3-0 for his career. WIT starter Leo Coehlo fell to 1-2 on the season after allowing six runs (five earned) over four innings of work.
In the second contest, nine different Judges had hits and 10 players scored runs as Brandeis completed the sweep. After Wentworth jumped on top in the first inning on Elliott's second home run of the day, Brandeis got three back in bottom of the frame. With none out and the bases, sophomore CF Dan Frey (Ipswich, Mass./St. John's Prep) knocked a single to give Brandeis a 2-1 lead. After an errant pick-off throw advanced runners to second and third with none out, the Judges scored on an unusual play, as catcher Luke Hall (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown) lined out to center. Fossas tagged and scored from third, but after he crossed the plate, Frey was called out for leaving the bag early, resulting a double play. Brandeis added four more in the second on a two-run single by Oppenheimer followed by a two-run homer from Frey, his second of the season. The Judges would add six more runs, including a three-run home run to right by sophomore Nick Yanco (Rutland, Mass./Wachusett) in the fourth, before Wentworth got its second of the game in the top of the sixth on a Matt Bishop round-tripper. Two bases-loaded walks in the sixth inning closed out the scoring, 15-2.
Brandeis got a second-straight strong start, this time from rookie Cam Roberts (Leominster, Mass./Nashoba Regional), who earned his first collegiate win by allowing just three hits over five innings of work. Roberts struck out five – four looking – and walked two, giving up just one earned run. Forty-nine of his 84 pitchers were strikes. Wentworth's Matt Perconti suffered the loss, lasting just one-and-a-third innings, giving up five hits and six runs.
After playing seven games in as many days, Brandeis is off until next Thursday when they are slated to host Suffolk at home at 3:30 p.m. Wentworth's next game is also scheduled to be held in Waltham the same date, as the Leopards open GNAC play against Lasell on Stein Diamond at 7:30 p.m.