WORCESTER, Mass. – In action for the first time since the previous February, the Brandeis University softball team wasted little time in making an impression on their new coach. The Judges swept Worcester State, 9-0 and 9-1, giving head coach Dani Bishop her 100th career victory, and her first two in Brandeis blue and white.
The Judges' historic performance in Game One came from more than the coaching milestone, as junior pitcher Sydney Goldman (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame) tossed just the second perfect game in program history by striking out 13 of the 15 WSU batters she faced. It Brandeis's first no-hitter since 2011 and the highest strikeout total by an individual pitcher since at least 2005. Goldman set down the first nine Lancer batters swinging before a ball was put in play on a pop to second. The only other hitter to get the bat on the ball in play was a bunt that was popped to third base. Goldman needed just 53 pitches for her gem, 43 of which were strikes. Goldman had previously come within one strike of a no-hitter on April 12, 2019.
Offensively, it was an eight-run second inning that got the job done for the Judges. They sent 12 hitters to the plate, with sophomore catcher Tara Striggow (Cape Coral, Fla. / Cape Coral) and rookie DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla. / The Benjamin School) each delivering RBI doubles. Striggow also doubled in the fifth and scored on a wild pitch to finish the day 2-for-2 with two RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Rookie 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y. / Bethlehem Central) also added a double on the day.
In the second game, Cohen took the circle and was impressive in her first collegiate pitching performance. She fanned 11 and allowed five hits and two walks, with one earned run coming home in six innings. She threw 72 of her 99 pitches for strikes.
Brandeis spread out their run-scoring in Game Two, scoring runs in five of their six at-bats. An RBI ground out by 1B Jamie Pippin (Redmond, Wash. / Lake Washington) opened the scoring in the second inning, and a wild pitch that brought home senior CF Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) in the third proved to be the winning run. Rothenberg plated two runs with a double in the fourth inning. The Judges blew things open in the sixth, scoring four times, including a two-run triple from senior SS Jolie Fujita (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou School) and back-to-back RBI doubles from Striggow and Cohen.
WSU got their lone run of the day in the fifth on a double by Grace Adams followed two batters later by a single from Emily Bartlett.
Brandeis returns to action on Wednesday afternoon with a pair of contests at Anna Maria College, slated for a 3 p.m. start.