NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team got a pair of solo home runs today, but it wasn't nearly enough as 14th-ranked Wheaton (Mass.) College scored in every inning to take a 14-4 decision at the New England Baseball Complex today. With the loss, the Judges fall to 1-2 on the young season, while Wheaton improves to 1-0 after their opener.
Two of the Judges' four runs came on solo home runs. Graduate student Mike Khoury (E. Bridgewater, Mass./E. Bridgewater) hit a solo blast to right-centerfield in the first that tied the game after Wheaton had homered in the top of the frame. It was Khoury's first of the season and the 19th of his career. Junior 3B Brian King (Palos Verde, Calif./Palos Verde) launched one out to center in the seventh inning, his first of the season and the second of his career. The Judges' other two runs came on a two-run single in the seventh off the bat of sophomore SS Nick Heafey (Florence, Mass. / Williston-Northampton School).
Wheaton's lineup pounded out 19 hits from all nine starters, with six of them collecting multiple hits. RF Jake Studley paced the offense by going 4-for-4 with two RBI, three runs scored, a solo home run in the first inning and two doubles. The Lyons also got homers from RF Kevin Matos – a two-run job in the second – and 1B Drew Spirito – a solo shot in the fourth. 2B Mike Maher joined Studley with two doubles and led the team with three RBI.
Wheaton starter Griffin Young (1-0) earned the win on the hill, pitching six innings of three-hit ball. He allowed one run on Khoury's homer, struck out eight and walked just one. Brandeis used six hurlers in relief of grad student Brandon Musto (Milton, Mass./Milton), who suffered the loss, falling to 0-1 after allowing five hits and five runs in two innings of work. He struck out two and walked three. In all, the Brandeis pen recorded 11 strikeouts, but also walked 12 batters in addition to the 19 hits.
With Wheaton scoring in every inning, the game took more than three-and-a-half hours, though the game was delayed 20 minutes in the eighth when a Wheaton foul ball smashed into one of the stadium lights, necessitating the grounds crew to come out and clean glass off the turf in foul territory near the Brandeis dugout.
The featured two head coaches who were batter-mates at Brandeis - Wheaton head coach and pitcher Eric Podbelski '91 and Brandeis skipper Derek Carlson '91, who was the catcher.
The Judges are back in action on Wednesday afternoon when they travel to UMass Boston for a 3 p.m. contest.