WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team got another tremendous pitching performance from first-year hurler Ragini Kannan (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) and scored their lone run in the second inning as the Judges defeated Carnegie Mellon, 1-0, to clinch a University Athletic Association series win today.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 8-1, 3-0 UAA.
• Carnegie Mellon: 8-9, 0-3 UAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After Kannan retired the side in the top of the first, the Judges had an unusual bottom of the frame. CMU starter Amanda Smith was called for several illegal pitches, allowing the Judges to load the bases on a single, a fielder's choice and a walk.
• With two out and a 2-2 count, one umpire erroneously signaled for ball four. The Judges were caught off base amid the confusion to end the inning.
• CMU got a leadoff single from Koko Sagae, who had homered off Kannan yesterday, but the next batter lined into a double play to right field to avoid trouble.
• The first two Brandeis batters reached in the bottom of the second, with first-year 1B Maddie Manes (San Clemente, Calif / San Juan Hills) leading off with a double and classmate SS Bells Burdenski (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) coaxing a walk.
• The two were bunted into scoring position, and senior RF Lily Medici (New City, N.Y. / Clarkstown North) delivered Manes with a sacrifice fly to right that proved to be the game's only run.
• Carnegie Mellon had their last two hits with one out in the third, as singles by Piper Johnson and Erika Heffernan put runners on the corners.
• The Brandeis infield defense stepped up, first retiring Johnson at third on an attempted double-steal for the second out, then getting Heffernan trying to score on a squeeze bunt thanks to a nice tag by junior 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central).
• After the third inning, Kannan was nearly perfect, retiring 16 of the last 17 hitters, with seven coming by way of strikeout.
• The Judges had ample opportunity to score, getting baserunners in each inning, but the Tartans escaped trouble each time to keep it a one-run game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis outhit Carnegie Mellon 4-3, as only six different players recorded hits in the game.
• Only Brandeis rookie CF Erin Hunt (Wake Forest, N.C. / Franklin Academy) had more than one hit on the day (2-3, SB), while Manes' double was the only extra-base hit of the contest.
• Manes scored the game's only run on Medici's sac fly.
• Kannan improved to 5-0 on the season with her third shutout of the campaign. She allowed just three hits and did not walk anyone, striking out eight and facing just two batters over the minimum. Kannan threw 64 of her 79 pitches for strikes and lowered her season ERA to 0.64 and her opponent's batting average against to .147.
• Grace Fujino suffered the loss for the Tartans to fall to 3-3. She threw 4.1 innings of relief after Smith's start. She allowed two hits and just the one earned run, walking four and striking out two.
• Haley Pucci tossed a scoreless inning of relief as well for the visitors.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will go for the UAA sweep against Carnegie Mellon tomorrow at 11 a.m.