Softball splits non-conference Florida games headed into UAA tourney

CLERMONT, Fla. – The Brandeis softball team split a pair of games at the National Softball Training Center in Clermont, Florida, in their last two games before the 2016 University Athletic Association tournament. The Judges dropped a 9-8 decision to Austin College of Texas before bouncing back to defeat NAIA school Penn State-Brandywine, 9-0, in five innings. The Judges' record now stands at 2-3 headed into the tournament.

AGAINST AUSTIN

• The Judges fell behind, 7-2, after four innings,  but rallied to take an 8-7 lead in the top of the seventh.
• Brandeis got the first two outs in the bottom of the frame before four-straight Austin batter reached on a walk and three singles, the last by the Roos' Kylee Fowler delivered the game-winning runs.
• Senior 3B Madison Sullivan (Dover, N.H./Dover) had a terrific performance at the plate, hitting for three-quarters of a cycle. Sullivan went 3-3 with a walk and scored in each of her four plate appearances.
• Sullivan doubled and scored in the second, singled in the fourth, hit a lead-off triple in the sixth and walked and scored on an error in the seventh.
• Junior RF Madison Hunter (Parker, Colo. / Legend) also had three hits, including a double, and drove in Sullivan three times.
• Junior Melissa Soleimani (Somerset, Mass. / Somerset Berkley Regional) started the game in the circle and allowed four hits and five runs – only two of which were earned – in three innings of work.
• Rookie Sarah Petrides (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Phoenix Country Day School)                suffered the loss in 3.2 innings of relief, giving up eight hits and four runs (two earned).  It was her first collegiate appearance in the circle.

AGAINST PSU-BRANDYWINE

• Sophomore Sadie-Rose Apfel (Stamford, Conn. / Westhill) retired the first 10 Lion hitters and finished with four hits allowed in a five-inning complete game. She struck out two and walked none to improve to 1-1 on the season.
• Eight of nine Brandeis starters scored runs and six different players recorded hits.
• Senior 1B Jordan Buscetto (Old Lyme, Conn. / Old Lyme) was the only Brandeis player with multiple hits, going 2-2 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Rookie DP Keri Lehtonen (Oneco, Conn. / Plainfield) was responsible for four of the team's runs, driving in the first two of the game with a triple and scoring runs in the first and fifth.
• Sophomore CF Amanda Shore (San Jose, Calif. / Archbishop Mitty) also drove in two runs, with a double in the fifth inning that provided the walk-off score.

UP NEXT

• The Judges open UAA play on Tuesday with games against #3 Washington University at 10 a.m. and Case Western Reserve at 1 p.m.