SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team got a complete-game three-hitter from sophomore Mason Newman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) today at Springfield College, but the Pride were a bit better, throwing a one-hitter of their own as they defeated the Judges, 1-0. Brandeis falls to 8-5 with the loss, while Springfield improves to 6-6.
Newman threw 92 pitches, 62 of them for strikes, as he threw his second complete game of the season and first longer than seven innings. Newman struck out four and walked just one, but was the victim of a costly error in allowing a lone unearned run.
Newman was outdueled by Springfield's Dakota Aldrich, who struck out eight and allowed only a two-out single to Judge sophomore left fielder Donnie Weiss III (Swampscott, Mass./St. Mary's) in the third inning. Weiss moved to second on a wild pitch, and the next batter drew a walk, but that was as far as any Brandeis baserunner advanced all day. Aldrich threw 110 pitches, 66 for strikes, in eight innings to earn his first win of the season. Nick Naples nailed down the save with a 1-2-3 ninth.
The game's lone run came with two out in the seventh. Second baseman Mark Joao reached on an error by the Brandeis third baseman, then scored all the way from first on DH Jake Gleason's double to right-center field. Gleason was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple, but the damage was done.
In addition to Weiss, who singled and walked, junior 2B Victor Oppenheimer (Westlake, Calif./Chaminade) also reached base twice on walks, but none of the Brandeis base runners came with fewer than two outs.
The Judges return to Western Massachusetts tomorrow to face Amherst College at 3:30 p.m. before heading to Atlanta this weekend for a four-game University Athletic Association set with Emory starting on Friday.