WALTHAM, Mass.- On the third day of the University Athletic Association (UAA) Tournament in Altamonte Springers, Florida the Brandeis Judges softball team faced off against #21 Washington University (Mo.) and #2 Emory University. The Judges fell to the Bears, 12-3, in the first game and 15-0 to the Eagles in the second game. The top four players in Brandeis' batting order contributed the most to their afternoon by scoring all three runs, notching both RBI, and providing four of the Judges six hits on the day. Brandeis fell to 2-3 (2-3 UAA) while Washington improved to 9-2 (3-1 UAA) and Emory ran their record to 21-2 (4-1 UAA).
Against Washington in their first game, Brandeis rallied from an early five run deficit but fell short. Despite allowing five runs in the first two innings, the Judges fought back in the fourth and fifth frames. In the bottom of the fourth, senior 1B Marianne Specker (So. Windsor, Conn./ Westminster School) earned a walk that was immediately followed by rookie 3B Anya Kamber's (Sammamish, Wash./ Skyline High School) single down the right field line. With Specker on third and Kamber on second, senior CF Lauren Porcaro (Shrewsbury, Mass./ Shrewsbury) reached on an error by the Bears' shortstop that allowed Specker to score, cutting the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the fifth, Brandeis began their rally with two outs and no one on. Senior SS Brittany Grimm (Perkiomenville, Pa./ Perkiomen Valley) started it off with a single and a stolen base. With Grimm on second, rookie RF Amanda Genovese (No. Haven, Conn./ No. Haven) walked to set up Specker. Specker delivered with an RBI single to extend her hitting streak to 18 games dating back to last season. Grimm scored on the hit while Genovese advanced to third and Specker advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Kamber followed that up with another RBI single, driving home Genovese before designated player Melissa Nolan (Windsor, Conn./ Loomis Chaffee) flied out to end the inning with the Judges down just 5-3. Unfortunately, Washington tacked on a run in the sixth and added six runs in the seventh for the final tally of 12-3. Senior Caroline Miller (Bala Cynwyd, Pa./ Harriton) took the loss while Nolan had a good outing, pitching three strong innings of one hit ball with just an unearned run allowed.
In the second game against Emory, Brandeis was never really able to get on track. The Eagles piled on 13 runs in the first three innings to knock the Judges out of the game. Senior utility player Mimi Theodore (Walpole, Mass./ Walpole) stepped in to play third base in the fourth and in the bottom of the frame earned Brandeis' only hit of the game with a leadoff single. Junior Casey Ducinski (Duxbury, Mass./ Duxbury) took the loss, her first of the season, while Nolan was the Judges' top pitcher, escaping trouble in the third inning and tossing a scoreless fourth inning.
The Judges continue the tournament on March 16th against the University of Rochester.