WATERTOWN, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team got a terrific start from rookie lefty Cam Roberts (Leominster, Mass./Nashoba Regional) to pick up their first University Athletic Association win of the season today at Victory Field in Watertown. Roberts tossed 6.2 scoreless innings of four-hit ball as the Judges won the second game of the UAA doubleheader from New York University, 8-3. The Violets won the opener, 12-2. Brandeis is now 13-17 overall, 1-11 in the UAA, while NYU is 19-10, 5-7 UAA. The games were played at Victory Field because of rain from the previous evening on the field at Brandeis's Stein Diamond.
Roberts picked up the win in the second game with some crafty pitching to improve to 3-2 on the season. He stranded a runner at third base in both the first and fourth innings. He also got some help from his defense, which turned a 5-4-3 double play in the second and a 4-6-3 twin-killing to end the sixth.
Brandeis got to NYU starter Zach Cohen for three runs in the bottom of the first. After walks to the first two batters, the Judges put runners in scoring position on an errant pick-off throw. Sophomore center fielder Dan Frey (Ipswich, Mass./St. John's Prep) delivered a two-run single to open the scoring. Frey stole second and scored on a hit up the middle by sophomore catcher Luke Hall (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown).
Brandeis doubled its lead in the fourth inning. With two out, junior second baseman Victor Oppenheimer (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade) doubled off reliever Paul Gadaleta. With a base free, the Violets elected to walk Judge sophomore third baseman Mike Khoury (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E. Bridgewater) intentionally, and classmate first baseman Isaac Fossas (Dudley, Mass./Milton Academy) made the visitors pay with a long home run to left field on the second pitch he saw from Gadaleta. It was Fossas' fourth of the season and the fifth of his career.
The Judges tacked on two more runs in the eighth, on a ground-rule double by Oppenheimer and a sacrifice fly by Khoury. The RBI for Khoury was his UAA-leading 37th of the season.
NYU would spoil Brandeis's shutout bid in the top of the ninth, scoring three runs, including a home run by DH Zane Baker against rookie reliever Marc Maestri (Katonah, N.Y./Somers).
In the opener, NYU won in seven innings, 12-2. The visitors scored a run in the first on a solo home run by first baseman Coleman Hendershot and two more in the second on a two-run blast by right fielder Coltrane Tait. The Violets would blow things open in the third, when they sent 11 men to the plate and scored seven runs to establish their 10-run lead.
Brandeis looked to avoid the 10-run rule when junior right fielder Dan O'Leary (Lynnfield, Mass./Lynnfield) singled home a run in the fifth and Khoury blasted a solo homer in the sixth. It was Khoury's seventh round-tripper of the season – second-most in the UAA – and the 11th of his career.
NYU answered in the top of the seventh with RBI hits by center fielder Jack Walter and shortstop Ryan McLaughlin, and starter Sal Cammisuli retired the side in order in the bottom of the frame to complete the game and improve to 7-1 on the season. Brandeis sophomore Mason Newman (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle) took the loss, falling to 2-4.
Brandeis returns to action on Tuesday afternoon with a non-conference doubleheader against UMass Boston before heading to Cleveland for their UAA season finale at Case Western Reserve next weekend.