WELLESLEY, Mass. – The Brandeis University softball won their first extra-inning contest of the season in the opener of a doubleheader today, then had an offensive explosion in the last two frames of the second game to earn a sweep of host Wellesley College, 4-2 and 8-2, today.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 14-9.
• Wellesley: 2-15-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME ONE (Brandeis 4, Wellesley 2 – 8 innings)

• Brandeis first-year pitcher Ragini Kannan (Westford, Mass./Westford Academy) and Wellesley hurler Melissa Sgambatti were locked in a pitcher's duel, with each allowing just one run through seven innings.
• Blue 2B Angel Delgado singled home a run in the bottom of the first, while Judge junior DP Alex Cohen (West Palm Beach, Fla./The Benjamin School) answered in the third.
• Only one runner for either team got past first base through the seventh inning, setting up a dramatic final frame.
• With the lead runner on second, Brandeis first-year CF Erin Hunt (Wake Forest, N.C. / Franklin Academy) bunted her to third and reached safely at first for a single. Classmate SS Bells Burdenski (San Diego, Calif. / Rancho Bernardo) followed with another bunt to put two runners in scoring position
• Cohen followed with a drive to centerfield that just stayed in the park, giving Cohen a triple, and she scored when the ball got by third base, giving the Judges a 4-1 lead.
• Wellesley's Ingrid Hsu singled home the Blue's courtesy runner, but Kannan got two strikeouts and a grounder to short to end the game
• Kannan improved to 9-4 on the season, snapping a personal four-game skid. She struck out eight and did not walk a batter, allowing six hits and two runs (one earned) in her longest outing of the season. Sgambatti was a hard-luck loser, falling to 0-7 despite an eight-inning outing of her own. She allowed eight hits and four runs (two earned) with six Ks and two hit batters.
• Hunt went 3-4 with two runs scored, while Cohen was 2-4 with three RBI, one run scored and a triple.
• Wellesley's Delgado had three of her team's six hits.

HOW IT HAPPENED: GAME TWO (Brandeis 8, Wellesley 2)

• Game two looked to be more of the same, with only one run being scored through the first four innings on a sacrifice fly by Brandeis junior 3B Haley Nash (Delmar, N.Y./Bethlehem Central).
• Nash doubled the lead in the top of the fifth on an error by the Wellesley outfield.
• The Blue tied things up in the bottom of the frame when LF Ellen DeCleene bunted with runners in scoring position. Wellesley's first run scored by beating the throw home, while the second came home as Brandeis threw down to get DeCleene extending to second.
• Brandeis blew things open in the sixth, scoring five runs thanks to three hits and three Wellesley errors. Senior Lily Medici (New City, N.Y. / Clarkstown North) tripled and scored on a Blue miscue, while Cohen had a sacrifice fly and first-year 1B Maddie Manes (San Clemente, Calif / San Juan Hills) doubled for the team's other RBI in the inning.
• Senior Jamie Pippin (Redmond, Wash. / Lake Washington) added an RBI double in the seventh to close out the scoring and make for the 8-2 final.
• Cohen earned the win in the circle, improving to 5-4 on the season. She threw six innings of five-hit ball, allowing two earned runs. She struck out three and did not walk anyone but hit one batter.
• Wellesley's Kate Liston took the loss to fall to 1-3. She went 5.2 innings and allowed seven hits and seven runs, only one of which was earned. She struck out one and walked four.
• Hunt went 3-5 for her sixth three-hit game of the season, scoring two runs with a double. Burdenski and Manes each had two hits as well as the Judges had 11 hits as a team. Five different Brandeis players drove in runs.
• Wellesley's Charis Chung was their only multiple hitter, going 2-3 with a run scored.

UP NEXT

• The Judges kick off a four-game University Athletic Association set with NYU on Friday afternoon at 3 p.m.