WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team used slugging - hitting four home runs - and outstanding pitching - allowing just five hits and 20 strikeouts – to sweep visiting Eastern Nazarene College in non-conference action today. The Judges won 8-0 in six innings in the opener and 10-1 in five frames in the nightcap.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 5-1.
• Eastern Nazarene, 4-8.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 1 (Brandeis 8, ENC 0, 6 innings)

• The Judges pounded out eight runs on a season-hits 16 hits in the opener.
• The big blows were a two-run home run from junior DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Calif./The Benjamin School) in the bottom of the first, and another two-run blast by classmate 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) in the fourth.
• Cohen ended up 4-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored in the game with a double in addition to her round-tripper. Her home was her first of the season and the sixth of her career.
• The Judges ended the game in the bottom of the sixth. With Cohen and Nash on second and third, sophomore 2B Anna Kolb (Alexandria, Va. / Thomas A. Edison) singled to center to plate Cohen, while first-year pinch hitter Andrea Perez - Ramirez (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Pembroke Pines Charter) hit a grounder to second that brought home Nash.
• First-year pitcher Ragini Kannan (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) earned the win. She struck out 12 opposing batters for the second game in a row, allowing just three hits and walking just one. She improved to 3-0 on the season.
• Kannan faced three batters over the minimum and three 63 of her 86 pitches for strikes. She has now tossed 19 straight scoreless innings and lowered her ERA to 0.69 through three career starts.   
• ENC's Jennelle Munoz went the distance and suffered the loss, falling to 1-3 on the season. She gave up 16 hits and eight earned runs with one walk and one strikeout.

HOW IT HAPPENED, GAME 2 (Brandeis 10, ENC 1, 5 innings)

• Three of the first four Lion hitters reached base in Game Two, with SS Darcy Castro singling to left to break the Judges' hope of a fourth-straight shutout.
• Brandeis allowed just two base-runners after that, on an error and a walk.
• With two away in the first, it was Cohen and Nash getting the job done, as Cohen reached on an infield single and Nash followed with her second homer of the day and third in four games.
• After ENC starter Morgan Brunner walked the next two Brandeis batters, first-year shortstop Bells Burdenski (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) blasted her third home run of the season to deep left-center to give Brandeis a 5-1 lead after one inning.
• Brandeis blew things open in the second thanks to an RBI double by first-year Elle Ehrlich (Falls Church, Va. / Meridian), an RBI single by Kolb, and a two-run hit by sophomore catcher Tristan Boyer (Chesapeake, Va. / Grassfield) that chased Brunner from the game after making it 9-1. Cohen added an RBI double in the third to round out the scoring.
• Cohen improved to 2-1 on the season in the circle after throwing four innings of two-hit ball. She allowed one earned run, struck out eight, and did not walk anyone, though she did hit a batter. Senior Chandra Penton (Newton, Mass. / Newton South) threw a hitless fifth inning with a walk and a double-play to end the game.
• Bruner fell to 1-2 with the loss, while Caoimhe Wernsing was effective in relief, allowing just two hits and one earned run.
• Besides the two home runs, Cohen went 3-3 with two runs to finish the day going 7-for-7 at the plate with three RBI, five runs scored, two doubles, and a home run.
• Nash finished the day 4-for-7 with two home runs, four runs scored, and four RBI.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With her two home runs today and three this season, Nash has moved into eighth place on Brandeis's career list with 15.

UP NEXT

• The Judges open up University Athletic Association play on Friday afternoon when they take on Carnegie Mellon University in the first game of a four-game set at 3:00 p.m.