WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University graduate student Melissa Rothenberg (Lawrenceville, N.J./Lawrence) hit a tie-breaking home run in the bottom of the sixth inning today to help the Judges' softball team secure a University Athletic Association (UAA) split with visiting Case Western Reserve University.
After the Spartans won game one of the doubleheader, 3-2, Rothenberg led the Judges to a 4-2 in game two. With the win, Brandeis improved to 20-13 on the season, securing their 14th 20-win season in program history, while moving to 6-9 in the UAA. CWRU is now 19-9, 11-3 in the UAA.
In the contest won by the Judges, CWRU took the lead in the second inning on a home run to center field by Isabella Russo. Brandeis took their first lead of the series in the bottom of the fourth inning when first-year catcher Tristan Boyer (Chesapeake, Va. / Grassfield) dropped a single down the right-field line with the bases loaded to make it 2-1. The RBI were her third and fourth of the season.
The Spartans tied things up in the top of the sixth when Stevie Rieger hit a solo home run to left-center field, but Rothenberg answered with a lead-off homer of her own in the bottom of the frame. It was Rothenberg's fourth of the season and the 11th of her career, as well as being the 100th hit of her career.
The Judges recorded four more hits in a row, with Boyer driving in her third run of the game to make it 4-2. CWRU ended the inning by throwing out a runner at the plate who was attempting to score on a fly ball to center.
Brandeis sophomore Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla./Benjamin School) set down the side in order in the seventh to secure the win for Judge junior Chandra Penton (Newton, Mass./Newton South). Penton improves to 5-0 on the season with six innings of four-hit ball. She allowed two earned runs on the two CWRU homers, struck out two, and walked just one.
Spartan Lexi Miskey suffered the loss to fall to 9-4 on the season. She allowed seven hits and four runs (two earned), striking out seven and walking three.
The day featured a couple of pitching duels, with CWRU taking the opener, 3-2. Judge sophomore Rebecca Guerci (Roslyn, N.Y. / Herricks) and Spartan first-year Kylie Hosey were in command in the circle, with one difficult defensive inning proving costly for the Judges.
In the top of the second, CWRU's Grace Yeung singled through the left side. Pinch-runner Jenna Jaklich was picked off trying to steal, but the throw to catch her going to second hit Jaklick in the back, allowing her to advance safely. On a bunt by Russo, the toss from the pitcher went awry, giving the Spartans two runners in scoring position. Next, in a bizarre play, Carli Tucci grounded to third with the infield in. Jaklick retreated to third when the ball came home, while Russo tried to take third, but in the confusion in the infield, the Judges failed to tag a runner, allowing Russo to get back to second and loading the bases with no outs. Guerci got the first out on a strikeout, and while the next batter drove in a run with a grounder to first, a second run scored when a second thrown ball hit a base-runner. A grounder to short ended the inning.
CWRU added a key third run in the third inning, as two singles and a stolen base again put two runners in scoring position with none out. Stevie Rieger beat a throw home on a ground ball to second for the third run. The Judges' defense prevented any further damage, throwing out two runners at the plate, including a strike from left field by senior Amidori Anderson (Sparks, Nev./Spanish Springs) on a line drive for an inning-ending double play.
Hosey allowed just two hits through the first five innings before the Judges finally broke through in the sixth. They hit four singles in the inning, including RBI from sophomore 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central) and first-year DP Anna Kolb (Arlington, Va./Thomas A. Edison). With the tying run in scoring position, Case coach Josie Henry went to the bullpen, and Miskey got the last out of the inning with a liner to right. Miskey retired the side with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh to pick up her second save of the season.
No players had multiple hits in the opener, with Fujita hitting a double in the first inning as the only extra-base hit. In the circle, Hosey improved to 10-5 on the season, allowing six hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts over 5.2 innings. Guerci was the hard-luck loser, falling to 3-3, as she allowed just one earned run in seven innings. She gave up four hits with one walk and one strikeout.
The Judges and Spartans will meet tomorrow at 11 a.m. in the series finale, which will also be Brandeis's Senior Day.