WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- The Brandeis baseball team finished its February break trip to Florida with a winning record today as the Judges defeated Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 3-2, behind batterymates Kyle Brenner (Brookfield, Mass./St. Peter Marian) - who tossed a complete game - and Kenny Destremps (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee) who hit the game-winning home run in the sixth inning. With the win, Brandeis returns north with a 4-3 mark, while the Engineers fall to 1-1. The game was part of the Russ Matt Invitational at Chain-O-Lakes Park in Winter Park.
Brenner, a rookie righthander, earned his second win and second complete game in as many starts this season. He scattered nine hits over nine innings, not allowing a run after the first inning. He struck out three and walked two. Brenner allowed just two base-runners in an inning three times after the first inning, helping his own cause in the eighth with his third pickoff of the season.
Destremps, a senior catcher, snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with his first home run of the season. The blast was the third of Destremps's career and Brandeis's fifth of the season as a team. He also scored the game-tying run in the second inning.
The Judges jumped on top with a run in the top of the first inning. Senior 2B Sean O'Hare (Southampton, Mass./Hampshire Regional) continued his torrid start with a lead-off triple and scored on a single by junior LF Nick Cortese (Guaynabo, P.R./Baldwin School of Puerto Rico). Rose-Hulman answered with two in the bottom of the first, however. CF Hank Akard led off with a double. Two batters later, 2B Andrew Benitez tied the game with a single. Benitez scored to put the Engineers ahead on 3B Bobby Newman's double, but Brandeis junior CF Chris Ferro (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) threw Newman out trying to stretch it into a triple.
Brandeis got the equalizer in the bottom of the frame. Destremps led off with a walk and stole second base. Senior RF Zach Malis (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore John F. Kennedy) bunted him to third, and two batters later, junior SS Dom Schwartz (San Francisco, Calif./Lowell) singled in Detremps with his second RBI of the season.
Brenner stranded runners on second and third in the bottom of the second and sixth innings. In the second, he got a grounder to short to close out the frame. In the sixth, after Destremps had given the Judges the lead in the top of the frame, with both runners in scoring position and none out, Brenner induced a short fly ball to center, a pop to third and a lineout to right to avoid trouble.
The Judges are now off until March 11, when they return to Florida for the University Athletic Association tournament in Sanford, opening against Emory University.`