Spring Break
SOFTBALL: Judges' title quest falls short
by Julie Ganz
Sports editor
Sports | 5/22/07
Posted online at 8:27 PM EST on 5/21/07
/ Last updated at 12:19 PM EST on 5/21/07
The softball team made a splash in its first-ever Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament this month, with upset victories over several top seeds, but inconsistent hitting and poor fielding eventually derailed its Cinderella run.
After a 2-1 first-round win over No. 3 seed Rivier College May 9, and an 8-0 victory over top-seeded Roger Williams College May 12 in their first elimination game of this double-elimination tournament, the Judges were one victory away from a berth in the championship round. But they fell 8-2 to Western New England College May 13, ending their first season under head coach Jessica Johnson with a 23-21 record, the team's second-best mark ever. Western Connecticut State University won the tournament.
"I want [the kids] to be postseason-minded, so for what we're trying to do with the program, [the ECAC tournament] was a great jumping off," Johnson said.
This was the fourth 20-win season in school history, but the first time the softball team posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
Brandeis got off to a quick start against Western New England College. Marissa Rubin '07 put them on the board in the top of the first after she singled, stole a base and scored after a wild pitch and an error by the Golden Bears.
The game quickly unraveled, however, when the Judges committed four errors in the bottom of the inning. The Golden Bears added four hits in the frame, leading to five unearned runs scored off losing pitcher Emily Vaillette '10.
"The fielding errors [cost us the game]," Vaillette said. "[WNEC] hit the ball off of me, but there were hits that should have been outs. I think we were just nervous. It was the morning, we really wanted to win, and our heads just weren't fully in it."
After Vaillette surrendered three more runs in the top of the second, including a two-run homer by Bears' senior Jess Nelson, she was pulled by coach Jessica Johnson in favor of Kaitlin Streilein '08. Streilein kept the Judges in the game by surrendering only two hits over the remaining 4.1 innings.
After a 2-1 first-round win over No. 3 seed Rivier College May 9, and an 8-0 victory over top-seeded Roger Williams College May 12 in their first elimination game of this double-elimination tournament, the Judges were one victory away from a berth in the championship round. But they fell 8-2 to Western New England College May 13, ending their first season under head coach Jessica Johnson with a 23-21 record, the team's second-best mark ever. Western Connecticut State University won the tournament.
"I want [the kids] to be postseason-minded, so for what we're trying to do with the program, [the ECAC tournament] was a great jumping off," Johnson said.
This was the fourth 20-win season in school history, but the first time the softball team posted back-to-back 20-win campaigns.
Brandeis got off to a quick start against Western New England College. Marissa Rubin '07 put them on the board in the top of the first after she singled, stole a base and scored after a wild pitch and an error by the Golden Bears.
The game quickly unraveled, however, when the Judges committed four errors in the bottom of the inning. The Golden Bears added four hits in the frame, leading to five unearned runs scored off losing pitcher Emily Vaillette '10.
"The fielding errors [cost us the game]," Vaillette said. "[WNEC] hit the ball off of me, but there were hits that should have been outs. I think we were just nervous. It was the morning, we really wanted to win, and our heads just weren't fully in it."
After Vaillette surrendered three more runs in the top of the second, including a two-run homer by Bears' senior Jess Nelson, she was pulled by coach Jessica Johnson in favor of Kaitlin Streilein '08. Streilein kept the Judges in the game by surrendering only two hits over the remaining 4.1 innings.
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