WORCESTER, Mass. -- Brandeis University junior starter Mike Swerdloff (Scarsdale, N.Y./Ardsley) staked the Judges to a 5-2 lead with seven strong innings, but the host Worcester State University Lancers ralled with three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to walk off with a 6-5 win today.
The Judges (6-25) scored in the first inning when rookie 2B Tommy McCarthy (Yonkers, N.Y./Fieldston School) came home on a wild pitch. They tripled the lead in the second inning on a successful squeeze bunt by rookie 3B Rob Trenk (West Orange, N.J./West Orange) and an RBI single by senior C Kenny Destremps (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee), his fifth in the last two games. Brandeis had a chance to add to the score after McCarthy singled to load the bases, but WSU hurler Jared Kuzio induced a ground out to escape further damage. McCarthy made it a 4-0 game with an RBI single in the fourth inning.
Worcester State (6-18) finally got to Swerdloff for a run in the bottom of the fourth on a two-out RBI single by LF Cody Osburn. The Lancers added an unearned run in the fifth when Swerdloff committed an error on the first hitter of the inning, who came around to score three batters later. With the score 4-2, the Judges added a run in the seventh on a two-out triple by senior CF Zach Malis (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK). After Swerdoff set the Lancers down in order in the bottom of the frame, the Judges were six outs away from a second-straight win.
Unfortunately for the visitors, WSU rallied, getting two singles to lead off the eighth. After Brandeis sophomore Colin Markel (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) got a flyout to center for the first out of the frame, the next two Lancers were more successful. Catcher Joseph Carlier tripled to center to make it a one-run game, while Osburn followed with a sac fly, also to center, knotting the game at 5-5.
Osburn got his chance to help his team on the hill as well in the top of the ninth, retiring the side in order with two strikeouts. In the bottom of the frame, the Lancers worked three walks against Judge senior Alex Tynan (Barnegat, N.J./Barnegat), loading the bases with one out. Tynan induced CF Jeff Bolio to ground to first, but third baseman Dan Ubele beat the throw home to give WSU the walk-off win.
Brandeis was paced at the plate by Destremps, who went 3-for-5 with an RBI, and Malis, who was 2-for-5 with a double and a triple - the Judges' only extra-base hits - and an RBI. McCarthy and sophomore Pat Seaward (York, Maine/York) also had two hits. On the hill, Swerdloff went seven innings and allowed seven hits. He struck out three and walked none in his fourth seven-inning outing of the season. Tynan suffered the loss and fell to 0-2 on the season.
WSU only had two multiple hitters, as their top two batters, 2B Nick Geziotis and Bolio each went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Osburn earned the win as nine different Lancer pitchers tossed an inning each.