WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University baseball team batted around in three of their six at-bats this evening as the Judges defeated the visiting Bridgewater State University Bears, 18-6, in a non-conference game shortened to seven innings tonight under the lights of Stein Diamond. With the win, the Judges improve to 17-12, while the Bears fall to 23-11.
Brandeis sent nine men to the plate in the first inning, scoring three runs, then had 13 batters come to the plate in the eight-run second. They added one in the third and then had nine more come up in the four-run fourth. BSU held the Judges scoreless sin the fifth, but they tacked on one more run in the sixth.
The Judges were one hit shy of tying their season-high with 18 hits, as eight players hit safely, 10 scored runs and nine had at least one RBI. Junior LF Sam Nugent (Mansfield, Mass. / Mansfield) hit the first two home runs of his career, going deep to lead off the game and again to start the second inning. He finished 3-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and three RBI. Junior 3B Brian King (Palos Verde, Calif./Palos Verde) was 5-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and a career-high four RBI. His second double of the night, which drove in a run in the sixth inning, just missed being a home run and giving him the cycle.
Other big bats included a trio of graduate students: centerfielder Dan Frey (Ipswich, Mass./St. John's Prep), who was 2-for-5 with three runs, two RBI and two doubles, tying him for 16th on the single-season list and tying him for seventh on the career list with 41; catcher Luke Hall (Georgetown, Mass./Georgetown), who hit his eighth homer of the season and the 15th of his career, moving him into a tie for ninth on the Judges' career list, in his only official at-bat along with three walks; and designated hitter Victor Oppenheimer (West Hills, Calif./Chaminade), who was 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a double and is tied with Frey with 41 two-baggers for his career.
On the mound, graduate student Brandon Musto (Milton, Mass./Milton) earned the win with three innings of four-hit ball. He allowed three earned runs, striking out three and walking two, before giving way to four relievers to each pitch an inning to close out the game.
Bridgewater State finished the day with six runs on nine hits. The Bears had two three-run innings, the third and the sixth. Rightfielder Jay Wladkowski had the team's big offensive day, going 2-for-4 with four RBI and two stolen bases. Patrick Cashin took the loss for the visitors, falling to 1-4 on the season.
The Judges return to action with four games in three days starting on Friday with a home game against Tufts at 3 p.m., the front end of a home-and-home series.