MEDFORD, Mass. (courtesy Tufts sports information) -- The Brandeis pitching staff allowed three runs in the first inning, but settled down to give up just two hits after that, but unfortunately for the Judges, nine Tufts University pitchers were also effective. The Jumbos limited visiting Brandeis to four hits to open their 2010 home schedule with a 3-1 victory against the Judges on Tuesday afternoon at Huskins Field.
Tufts scored three runs in the bottom of the first and was then held scoreless the rest of the way by a Brandeis pitching performance that was successful in its own right. The Jumbos finished with five hits. The game was played in a tidy two hours, 34 minutes.
Tufts sent eight men to the plate in the first, with sophomore 3B Sam Sager (Cranston, R.I.) and junior DH Ben Walkley (Trumbull, Conn.) hitting RBI singles. Junior RF Chase Rose (Scottsdale, Ariz.) also brought in a run with a ground out.
Jumbo starter Tom Hill (Robbinsville, N.J.), who was credited with the win, allowed a single to Brandeis sophomore RF John Chu (Hollis Hills, N.Y./Bronx H.S. of Science) in the top of the first. The Judges didn't get their next hit until the seventh inning. Alex Cronkite (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.), Jake Crawford (Boise, Idaho), and Kevin Gilchrist (Medford, Mass.) pitched 1-2-3 innings for Tufts.
Meanwhile, Brandeis starter Dylan Britton (Poughquag, N.Y./Arlington) settled down and pitched into the fifth without allowing another run. Sophomore Alex Tynan (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat) pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth, while rookies Stefan Weiss (Jericho, N.Y./Jericho), Andrew Weissenberg (Demarest, N.J./Northern Valley Regional), and Jesse Link (Weston, Conn./Staples) all pitched no-hit relief for the Judges.
One-out singles by senior DH John O'Brion (Portland, Maine/Portland) and sophomore SS Sean O'Hare (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional) had the Judges threatening in the top of the ninth. Pinch runner Kenny Destremps (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee) scored their lone run on a wild pitch. Tufts sophomore Chis DeGoti (Miami, Fla.) finished off his fourth save with a come-backer to the mound.
With singles in each of the first two innings, Tufts junior LF Ian Goldberg (Lake Forest, Ill.) was the lone player to finish the game with two hits.
The Jumbos have won seven of eight overall to improve to 12-3, while Brandeis has lost four of five to drop to 8-13. Tufts hosts a NESCAC East Division set against Colby at Huskins Field this weekend (Apr. 9-10). Brandeis is at Rhode Island College on Thursday.
(image courtesy Joe Burns)