Baseball drops 13-3 contest to Colby

Sam Nugent swinging the bat in a baseball game
Sam Nugent '23 (Photo by Sportspix.com)

WALTHAM, Mass. – Three big innings proved costly tonight as the Brandeis University baseball team dropped a 13-3 decision to the visiting Colby College Mules on Stein Diamond.

TEAM RECORDS

  • Brandeis: 5-23.
  • Colby: 18-7.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Mules had innings of 3, 4 and 5 runs, in addition to one one-run inning, while the Judges scored their three runs in separate frames.
  •  Brandeis got on the board in the first inning with help from Colby walk, a passed ball and an error on senior Brian King's (Palos Verde, Calif./Palos Verde) single on a hard ball to shortstop that the first baseman muffed, allowing Steven Simon () to score.
  • Colby answered with four runs in the second, highlighted by a two-run double from SS Charlie Furlong.
  • Furlong added his third RBI of the day in the third inning.
  • Brandeis got that run back in the bottom of the frame when the first two batters reached by getting hit by a pitch and drawing a walk. Junior 2B Mike DiCenso (Cranston, R.I./Moses Brown) bunted them along, with the catcher's throw to second base going awry, allowing junior 1B Nick Heafey (Florence, Mass. / Williston-Northampton School) to come home.
  • The visitors scored three times in the fourth inning, as two sacrifice flies and a wild pitch all allowed runs to score, making it 8-2.
  • A host of Brandeis relievers were effective from the fifth through the eighth innings, but all Brandeis could get over that span was an RBI single from CF Sam Nugent (Mansfield, Mass./Mansfield) in the seventh.
  • Colby eventually took advantage of the Brandeis bullpen in the ninth, scoring five times to produce the final 13-3 score.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Colby out-hit Brandeis, 17-7. Nugent was 2-3 with an RBI out of the leadoff hole.
  • Brandeis senior starter Reid Latham (North Easton, Mass. / Oliver Ames) took the loss, his first of the season, with two innings of six-hit ball, allowing four earned runs with one walk and two strikeouts.
  • Brandeis used nine different pitchers, with all but two recording a strikeout as the team had nine total.
  • The Mules' 17-hit attack was paced by 1B Ryan Grace, who went 4-6 with two RBI and three runs scored.  
  • Furlong finished 3-4 with three RBI, while LF Matthew Panker also drove in three runs.
  • Zack Lurie pitched two innings of three-hit scoreless relief to earn the win after Elijah Cohen allowed one hit and two unearned runs over the first three innings.
  • Seven Colby pitchers combined for 10 strikeouts, including a perfect sixth inning from Greg Levin who struck out the side on 11 pitches.

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