WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team earned a split in their first home University Athletic Association doubleheader of the season today against Emory University. After the Eagles won the opener, 8-2, the Judges bounced back to win game two, 7-3. The Judges now stand at 11-9 on the season, 1-5 in the UAA, while the Eagles fall to 14-10, 3-3 UAA.
Emory wasted little time in jumping on top in game one, scoring on an error at shortstop, a double-steal and a two-run home run by shortstop Natalie Costero to take a 4-0 lead before the Judges came to bat.
Brandeis got one run back in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by sophomore 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central), but the Eagles responded with homers by 2B Allie Moberg and 1B Tyler Miller in the third to take a 7-1 lead. Moberg added a sacrifice fly in the fourth to finish EU's scoring. Brandeis tacked on a second run in the sixth on an RBI double by sophomore DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla./Benjamin School), but got a runner thrown out on the base-paths to minimize the damage.
Emory pitcher Mattie Ryan improved to 12-2 on the season by tossing a complete-game four-hitter. She struck out three and walked just one, allowing two earned runs. Brandeis senior Sydney Goldman (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame) took the loss, allowing seven runs (four earned) and five hits in three innings of work. She fell to 1-4 on the year. Sophomore Rebecca Guerci (Roslyn, N.Y. / Herricks) was effective in relief, allowing just one unearned run in four innings of work, giving up just one hit, but walking three without a strikeout.
Offensively, Cohen had two of Brandeis's four hits – both of which were doubles – and an RBI, while Nash's home run was her third of the season and the eighth of her career. No Emory player had more than one hit, but Moberg's three RBI and the team's three home runs were enough damage for the win.
It looked like game two might be more of the same, as Emory scored twice in the first inning on a two-run home run by Ryan, and added a solo blast by 3B Tyler Miller in the second. Those homers were sandwiched around an RBI single by Nash, giving the visitors a 3-1 lead after two innings.
The Eagles threatened again in the third, putting two runners on against junior Chandra Penton (Newton, Mass./Newton South) with one out. At that point, Brandeis coach Dani Bishop summoned Cohen from the bullpen. Cohen walked the first hitter she faced, but bounced back with a strikeout and a grounder to short to leave it a two-run game.
Cohen helped her own cause in the bottom of the third, launching a home run to left-centerfield. It was her second of the season and the fourth of her career.
The Judges broke through to take their first lead of the series in the fourth inning. Grad student SS Jolie Fujita (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) led off with a double and junior 1B Jamie Pippin (Redmond, Wash. / Lake Washington) followed with a single to short. After rookie catcher Tristan Boyer (Chesapeake, Va. / Grassfield) bunted the runners into scoring position, junior LF Lily Medici (New City, N.Y. / Clarkstown North) pulled a ball to left field that scored both runs, putting the Judges ahead, 4-3.
Felder followed with a single that put runners on the corners. She and Medici executed a perfect double steal to make it a two-run game. Two batters later, Felder came home on a wild pitch to give the Judges a 6-3 lead. Felder added an RBI single in the sixth inning to close out the scoring.
Cohen took care of the rest in the circle. After her initial walk, she retired 11 of the next 12 batters without a hit. The Eagles managed two hits in the seventh, but Cohen got a pop-up and a strikeout to end the game.
Cohen improved to 6-1 on the campaign with 4.2 innings of two-hit ball. She walked two batters, but eight of her 14 outs came by way of strikeout. Emory's Natalie Swift took the loss, falling to 2-8 despite throwing a complete game. She allowed 13 hits and seven earned runs, with one strikeout and no walks.
All nine Brandeis starters had hits for the Judges, with Medici (2-3, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB), Felder (2-4, RBI, R, SB) and grad student CF Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) (3-4, 2B, R) each collecting multiple hits. Emory's six hits all came from different batters, with the homers by Ryan and Miller the only ones that went for extra bases.
Brandeis and Emory will meet for two more UAA games tomorrow starting at 11 a.m.