ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Brandeis University softball team dropped a University Athletic Association series opener on the road today at Washington University in St. Louis by a 17-4 score.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 5-19, 1-8 UAA.
• Washington U.: 22-8, 6-3 UAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bears opened the scoring with two runs in the first and two more in the third to take a 4-0 lead.
• Brandeis got on the board with a bases-loaded walk to sophomore DH Aidan Schleer (Sparta, N.J./Avon Old Farms, Conn.) in the fourth, but the Judges were unable to capitalize on the situation any further.
• WashU blew things open with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, when they sent 11 hitters to the plate, and six more in the fifth with another bat-around.
• The Bears had a pair of homers in their offensive explosion, an inside-the-park two-run job by Magnus Dunn to cap the scoring in the fourth and a three-run shot by Shane Pellegrino to start the scoring in the fifth.
• The Judges added three runs in the top of the seventh inning, with another bases-loaded walk issue to senior Sam Nugent (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) and a two-run single by reserve outfielder Nick Heafey (Florence, Mass./Northfield Mount Hermon), but the visitors were unable to hold off the UAA's 10-run rule.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges had six hits among six different players, with Heafey's the only one to produce runs.
• Senior 3B Brian King (Palos Verde, Calif./Palos Verde) had a double for the team's only extra-base hit.
• Junior Sean Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif./Vistimar) suffered the loss for the Judges, lasting 4.2 innings to fall to 0-4 on the season.
• Junior infielder Mike DiCenso (Cranston, R.I./Moses Brown) provided 1.1 innings of scoreless relief.
• Pellegrino led WashU at the plate with a 2-4 day, driving in five runs and scoring two with a home run. DH Braden Mazone also went 2-4 at the dish and drove in three runs with a double and a run scored.
• Starter Matt Lopes went six innings for the Bears, allowing five hits and one earned run. He struck out seven and walked three to improve to 3-2 on the season. It took three WashU pitchers to get through the seventh inning, with Joseph Hettinger coming on to get a double play ball on his only pitch to end the game.

UP NEXT

• The Judges and Bears will meet for two games tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. Eastern/12 Central.