CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Brandeis University softball team swept Pine Manor in Monday's doubleheader. The Judges won the first game 5-0 and came back in the second game for a 4-3 victory. With the two wins, Brandeis is 10 games over .500 with a record of 22-12 while Pine Manor falls to 18-18 on the season.
In the first game, Brandeis rookie P Caroline Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton) picked up the win as she pitched six shutout innings striking out five batters and only giving up three hits and a walk. The offense scored all five runs in the fifth inning as sophomore 2B Melisa Cagar (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) and rookie RF Lara Hirschler (Bellmore, N.Y./John F. Kennedy) led off with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice fly plated home Cagar as she had advanced to third on Hirschler's single. The big hit of the inning came from sophomore 1B Courtney Kelley (Leicester, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) who capped off the inning with a two-run double to put the Judges up 5-0 and solidified the win.
In the second game, Cagar led the Judges offensively reaching base in all four plate appearances with two singles, a walk and an error, with three stolen bases. Junior P Emily Vaillette (Milford, N.H./Milford) pitched seven innings giving up only two hits. Pine Manor scored all three of their runs due to five errors committed by Brandeis.
After Pine Manor took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth, Brandeis responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Kelley drove in one and scored a run in the fourth to pull Brandeis within one of Pine Manor. In the bottom of the fifth, the Judges took the lead as Marianne Specker (So. Windsor, Conn./Westminster School) drove home Cagar who led off with a walk and then advanced to third on a single and a sacrifice bunt. Junior C Erin Ross (Manalapan, N.J./Manalapan) drove home the game-winning run on a two-out RBI single. The one-run lead was all that Vaillette needed as she went on to record her ninth win of the season.
The Judges have six more games and all coming in doubleheader home games. The next contest is on April 22, against Salem State at 4:00 p.m.
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