WALTHAM, Mass. – Visiting Babson College outscored host Brandeis University, 17-0, in a nonconference softball doubleheader today, as the Beavers won the opener, 11-0, in six innings, and took the nightcap, 6-0. Babson outhit the Judges, 28-6, getting 14 hits in each game. Brandeis falls to 13-14 with the losses, while Babson moves to 15-13.
In the opener, Babson wasted no time in jumping on Brandeis rookie Melissa Nolan (Windsor, Conn./Loomis Chaffee). After a single and a walk, Babson sophomore SS Catie Funk (Scarborough, Maine/Scarborough) hit a three-run home run to right field, followed one pitch later by a blast to left by junior catcher Nicole Latini (E. Bridgewater, Mass./Cardinal Spellman). Those were the only four batters that Nolan faced, as Brandeis sophomore Casey Ducinski (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) came on to retire the side.
The Beavers added two more runs in the fourth on Funk's second home run of the day, her fifth of the season. Babson added another run in the fifth and four more in the sixth – including a two-run home run by sophomore CF Ashleigh Phelps (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) - to invoke the eight-run rule.
Rookie Christina Miquel (Emerson, N.J./Immaculate Heart Acad.) held Brandeis to two hits and two walks in five innings, striking out five, to earn the win. She improve to 5-2 on the season, while Nolan fell to 7-7.
In the second game, Brandeis danced around trouble for five innings, as Ducinski and Nolan stranded nine Babson runners in that span. After two leadoff singles in the fourth, Ducinski got a force at second, putting runners on the corners with one away. Nolan then came on to get a pop to right and a grounder to second to escape any damage.
Brandeis's best attempts to break through the Babson pitching came in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, senior 1B Courtney Kelley (Leicester, Mass./Notre Dame Acad.) led off with a double, but Babson sophomore Megan Brain (Pompton Plains, N.J./Pequannock Township) got a pop to short, a strikeout and a grounder to short. In the fifth, with one out, the Judges put runners on the corners on a walk and an error. Babson rookie Tess Rubega (Norwich, Conn./Norwich Free Acad.) came on in relief and got a strike out and a hard line drive by Brandeis's Brittany Grimm (Perkiomenville, Pa./Perkiomen Valley) to left to end the inning.
The Beavers finally broke through against Nolan in the sixth, when the first seven hitters reached safely. After a single and an unsuccessful fielder's choice opened the fame and got runners to second and third, an error on a ball hit by rookie RF Sam Kiley (Lynn, Mass./St. Mary's) opened the floodgates, as both runners scored. Sophomore 2B Jackie Enos (Taunton, Mass./Coyle and Cassidy) and Funk followed with an RBI triple and double, respectively, making the score 4-0. After Nolan loaded the bases, Brandeis coach Jessica Johnson brought on junior Caroline Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./Harriton). After getting a pop up, junior 3B Kayla Davis (Gardner, Mass./Gardner) doubled to center field, bringing home the final two runs of the inning, though the Judges cut down a final run at the plate and escaped further damage.
Brandeis had single runners in the bottom of the sixth and seventh, but could not get them past first base. Rubega earned the win in relief with 2.2 innings of two-hit ball, while Nolan suffered her second loss of the day.
For the afternoon, Funk was the offensive star, going 5-for-9 with six RBI, four runs scored, two home runs and two doubles. Phelps and Enos also had five hits on the day for the Beavers. Phelps added two RBI, a homer and a double, while Enos scored three runs, drove in two and had a triple and a stolen base.
Brandeis did not have any multiple hitters across the two games, and Kelley's double was their only extra-base hit.
The Judges return to action with two games on Sunday at noon at Tufts, while Babson hosts Smith in a NEWMAC twinbill at noon on Saturday.