WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball team got a pair of terrific pitching performances today as the Judge swept Babson College on the road, 6-0 and 4-2. With the wins, the Judges improve to 11-17 on the season, while the Beavers fall to 24-14.

HOW IT HAPPENED  - Game 1 (Brandeis, 6-0)

• Sophomore Scottie Todd (Tampa, Fla./Strawberry Crest) tossed her third shutout of the season in the opener. She held the Beavers to six hits, striking out four and walking three. Todd threw 112 pitches, 67 for strikes.
• She improved to 6-6 on the season while lowering her ERA to 1.68.
• After a scoreless first two innings, the Judges took advantage of a costly two-out error to score four runs in the top of the third.
• Junior RF Marissa DeLaurentis (Centereach, N.Y./St. John the Baptist Diocesan) gave Brandeis all the offense they would need with a two-run double to right-center field.
• Todd helped her own cause with a two-run home run down the left field line to make it 4-0. It was her first homer of the season and the second of her career.
• She worked out of trouble in the bottom of the fourth, leaving the bases loaded, and did the same in the fifth.
• Brandeis added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh when junior catcher Keri Lehtonen (Oneco, Conn./Plainfield) doubled with a runner on first to put two runners in scoring position.
• Rookie CF Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) placed a perfect bunt between the pitcher's circle first and second base that scored not only LF Bridget Cifuni (Georgetown, Mass./Brooks School) from third, but a charging Lehtonen all the way from second.
• DeLaurentis (2-4, 2 RBI, R, 2B) and Todd (2-3, 2 RBI, R, HR) were each multiple hitters for the Judges.
• Babson 2B Samantha Smith had two of the Beavers' six hits, while left fielder Annie Quine's double in the fourth was the only extra-base hit for Babson.
• Beaver hurler Brooke Stock fell to 7-7 on the season after allowing six runs (two earned) on eight hits and a walk. She struck out eight Brandeis hitters.

HOW IT HAPPENED – Game 2 (Brandeis, 4-2)

• Classmate Callie MacDonald (Hanover, Mass./Hanover) nearly outdid Todd in the circle. MacDonald held Babson hitless for the first five-and-a-third innings. She gave up one hit in the sixth and three more in the seventh as the Beavers finally got on the board.
• MacDonald ended up allowing just four hits, three walks and two earned runs in seven innings as she tossed her eighth complete game of the season to improve to 4-10.
• Offensively, the Judges broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth inning. With one away, Lehtonen drew a walk. Rookie SS Jolie Fujita (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) followed with an RBI triple.
• A batter later, senior 1B Amanda Shore (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty) singled up the middle to make it a 2-0 game.
• The Judges added two key insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings on a pair of sacrifice flies by rookie 2B Lena Shapiro (Beverly Hills, Calif./Beverly Hills) and sophomore RF Taylor Simala (Wellsburg, W. Va./Burke).
• Babson 2B Samantha Smith picked up the Beavers' first hit with a single to center field with one away in the sixth, but MacDonald got the next two outs in the frame.
• After MacDonald retired the leadoff hitter in the seventh, Babson broke through with a double by DP Erica Pavlo and an RBI single by pinch hitter Nicole Civello to break up the shutout bid.
• Another pinch hitter, Jamie Hoffman doubled again putting two runners in scoring position, but MacDonald got two infield grounders – one driving in a run – to end the game.
• Fujita and Shore each had two hits for the Judges as the only multiple hitters in the game.
• MacDonald's opponent in the circle, Katie Gademsky, fell to 3-3 on the season with seven innings of six-hit ball, allowing six hits and four runs (three earned) with three walks and two strikeouts.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis wraps up its non-conference slate tomorrow with two games at Worcester State starting at 3 p.m.
• Babson is off until next Wednesday for its NEWMAC tournament opener against Emerson at 2:30 p.m. in Worcester.