ST. LOUIS, Mo.– The Brandeis University softball team ended their series with Washington University in St. Louis today with a 5-3 loss and getting swept in the series. With the loss, the Judges fall to 8-8 overall, 0-4 in the UAA, while the Bears improve to 16-4, 4-0 in the UAA.
After three scoreless innings from both teams, Brandeis senior left fielder Amidori Anderson (Sparks, Nev./Spanish Springs) broke the tie with a solo homer to center field, her second of the year. The Bears followed that up with a big inning of their own. After left fielder Tami Wong scored unearned on a passed ball, third baseman Natalia Pipil, first baseman Nicole Hay, and second baseman Katie Gould all had RBIs in the inning to give WashU a 4-1 lead after the fourth.
The Judges attempted to mount a comeback in the fifth with RBIs from senior second baseman Marley Felder (Miami, Fla./American Heritage) and graduate center fielder Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence). However, Felder was stranded on third, leaving the Judges behind 4-3. The Bears extended their lead in the sixth with an RBI from center fielder Maggie Baumstark to get to the final score of 5-3.
The Judges' starting pitcher first-year Madeline Gorey (Lake George, N.Y./Lake George) took the loss, bringing her record to 1-2 for the year. Gorey pitched 3.1 innings, allowed five hits, four runs (three of which were earned), and two walks before senior Sydney Goldman (Sherman Oaks, Calif/Notre Dame) came in relief in the fourth inning. Goldman pitched 2.2 innings, allowed three hits, one earned run, three walks, and one strikeout.
The Bears' starting pitcher Jordan Rossi earned the win, bringing her record to 2-0 for the season. Rossi pitched four innings, allowed two hits, two earned runs, two walks, and six strikeouts before Holly Stoner came in relief. Stoner pitched the final three innings, allowed two hits, one earned run, one walk, and two strikeouts.
DP Ashley Kennedy for WashU was the lone multi-hitter of the day, going 2-3 with a groundout in the second. Brandeis had four players with one hit each: Felder, Anderson, sophomore DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla./The Benjamin School), and junior first baseman Jamie Pippin (Redmond, Wash./Lake Washington).
The Judges return to action Wednesday, March 30 when they take on the Lesley University Lynx in a doubleheader with the first game starting at 3 p.m., marking the first home games of the season for the Judges.
-- by Benton Ferebee '22