HARTFORD, Conn. – The Brandeis University baseball team got within a run late in the game, but the Judges couldn't get over the hump in a 5-3 defeat at the hands of Trinity (Connecticut) College today.

TEAM RECORDS
•    Brandeis, 2-3.
•    Trinity, 3-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED
•    The Judges got on the board in the top of the first after junior CF Sam Nugent (Mansfield, Mass. / Mansfield) singled to lead off the game. Two walks and a bunt later, Brandeis had the bases loaded with one out, and senior SS Drew Michaud (Madison, Conn / Xavier) drove a sacrifice fly to left to open the scoring.
•    The Bantams got the run back in the bottom of the frame on an RBI single by SS Jack Mathews after Tyler Bernstein led off with a single and moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt.
•    Trinity went ahead in the fourth inning with three runs. DH Dylan Schnitzer put the hosts on top with a single that saw LF Will Sawyer score on an error. Mathews drove in his second run of the game with a grounder to second and 1B Sean Meth singled to center to make it a 4-1 game.
•    After being held down by Trinity starter Michael Aceto through the first six innings, the Judges broke through in the seventh. First-year RF Jordan Greenaway (Clifton, NJ / Morristown Beard School) and sophomore catcher Justin Keeler (Seymore, Conn. / St. Joseph's) led off with singles and were bunted to second and third. Junior 2B Mike DiCenso (Cranston, R.I. / Moses Brown) brought in one run with a grounder to short, while Nugent delivered an infield single to short that made the score 4-3. That drove Aceto from the game and brought on reliever Sam Craven. With Nugent running on the first pitch, he appeared to have second base stolen, but the batter was called out on interference, ending the threat.
•    Trinity 2B Patrick Dillon added an insurance run in the eighth with a single. Brandeis mounted a minor threat in the bottom of the ninth when Greenaway led off with a single, but Trinity's Cooper McGrath came on and struck out the final two batters to earn the save.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

•    Nugent and Greenaway each went 2-4 with a run scored, with Nugent also driving in a run. 
•    Brandeis senior starter Sean Decker-Jacoby (Los Angeles, Calif. / Vistimar) suffered the loss, giving up four runs (two earned) on six hits over three innings. He walked two, hit two batters and struck out two. 
•    Classmate Jakob Newman (Manhattan Beach, Calif. / Mira Costa) did not allow a run over 3.2 innings of relief, allowing two hits and three strikeouts, though he did hit three batters. 
•    Trinity's Tyler Bernstein and Sean Meth each had two of the Bantams' nine hits. Catcher Jack Ryan reached base five times, with three walks, a single and getting hit by a pitch. 
•    Aceto earned the win, going 6.2 innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs with three walks and five strikeouts. Craven allowed one hit and one strikeout over 1.2 innings before McGrath nailed down his second save of the campaign.

UP NEXT

•    The Judges face WPI on Thursday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass. at 3:30 p.m.