The Brandeis women’s Softball team competed in Clermont, Florida over the weekend. The Judges split their only two games of the weekend on Saturday, falling in the first game of their double-header to Austin College in what was a thrilling back-and-forth battle. The Judges managed to turn things around in time for their matchup with Penn State Brandywine, as their balanced offensive attack helped them throttle the Nittany Lions.

Judges 9, Penn State Brandywine 0 (5 Innings)

In their second game of the day, the Judges bounced back in an emphatic way, trouncing Penn State Brandywine in embarrassing fashion. The Judges opened the game with a three-run first inning and never looked back. 

While the Nittany Lions struggled to even manage a hit, finishing with only four, the Judges blew the game wide open in the fifth inning, notching five runs and mounting a 9-0 lead. The game was called after the bottom of the fifth, as the Judges' shellacking earned them an early victory.

It was an RBI party for the Judges, as five players finished with at least one run batted in. Designated hitter Keri Lehtonen ’19 led the way for the Judges, finishing the game with a triple and two RBIs. Center-fielder Amanda Shore ’18 also knocked in two runs for the Judges, giving the Judges a needed respite from the previous game. 

Six Judges recorded at least one hit, and the squad managed a fairly clean defensive game.

The box score gave every indication that the Judges came out of the gates swinging fast and swinging hard, using consistent contact to cruise to an easy win. While hot bats played a critical role in the Judges’ victory, it was pitcher Sadie-Rose Apfel ’18 who really stole the spotlight. Apfel pitched a near-perfect five innings, giving up just four hits to the seventeen batters she faced. Apfel finished the day with two strikeouts. 

Apfel’s standout performance seemed even more impressive when compared to Nittany Lions’ freshman pitcher Grace Derosa, who struggled mightily from start to finish. Derosa gave up a total of seven hits and nine runs, walking a disappointing five batters and striking out only two.

Judges 8, Austin College 9

The Judges kicked off their double-header with a matchup against the Austin College Kangaroos of Sherman, Texas. Though the Judges jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the second innings, the Kangaroos quickly regained control of the game after a three-run bottom half of that same inning. 

From there, the Kangaroos continued to pad their lead, scoring two runs in the third and fourth inning. However, Brandeis was able to hold the Kangaroos scoreless over the fifth and sixth innings, allowing the Judges to reclaim the game’s momentum and a seventh-inning lead. Unfortunately, the Judges were unable to hold on in the bottom of the seventh, as the Kangaroos managed to knock in two runs, giving them the 9-8 victory in walk-off fashion.

The Judges' balanced scoring attack was led by right fielder Madison Hunter ’17 and third baseman Madison Sullivan ’16. Hunter went 3-4 at the plate, finishing the game with a team-high three runs batted in for the Judges. 

Sullivan was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, totaling three hits in four tries. Sullivan also managed to score a whopping four runs for the Judges. In all, the Judges balanced offensive effort resulted in seven players having at least one hit on the day. 

Pitcher Sarah Petrides took the loss for the squad, giving up two earned runs (four runs total) in 3.2 innings pitched.

The outcome of both games bring the Judges to 2-3 on the season while dropping the Nittany Lions to a disappointing 0-2 record on the year and improving the Kangaroos season record to 7-6.

Looking ahead, the Judges travel to Altamonte Springs, Florida, where they will participate in the annual University Athletic Association tournament against top-ranked Washington University and Emory University.