Spring Break
BASEBALL: Judges fail to repeat at UAAs
by Eli Harrington
Staff writer
Sports | 3/17/09
Posted online at 11:54 PM EST on 3/16/09
/ Last updated at 8:22 PM EST on 3/16/09
Once again escaping Waltham for the sunny fields of the south after earlier playing in a series of games in Peoria, Ariz., the baseball team hoped to defend the University Athletic Association co-Championship title they won last year in the annual UAA Baseball Championship. But with two losses in the final weekend of the tournament after splitting their first four games, the Judges went from contenders for the title to dead last in the span of 24 hours.
Brandeis lost to the University of Rochester and Emory University in its two games last Saturday after splitting games with Washington University in St. Louis, beating Case Western Reserve University in walk-off fashion and losing to Rochester earlier in the week. The Judges finished the tournament at 2-4 and fell to 4-7 overall.
"We had high expectations going into the week," captain and outfielder Mike Alfego '09 said. "We obviously wanted to defend the title, but it's a very strong league-a league of parity-and anybody can beat anybody else in the league on any given day. So now we've got to come back and work harder, so we can move forward."
Last Saturday's game against Rochester was essentially a championship game for both teams as Rochester needed the tiebreaker over Brandeis and the Judges needing two wins on the day to get a share of the UAA title.
The Judges sent captain James Collins '09 to the mound to face a Yellow Jacket offense that has a team batting average of .347. Collins lasted five innings and left the game with the Judges only trailing 5-3. Brandeis came to within 6-5 and cut a 9-7 Rochester lead to 9-8 in the ninth inning but would not come any closer.
"Throughout the game, we basically spotted them four runs on mental mistakes that hurt us bad. If we cut out on those mistakes then it's a very different game," assistant coach Brian Lambert '97 said. "But we fought back and finished the game with two men on base and a line drive that their first baseman made a great play on."
Brandeis lost to the University of Rochester and Emory University in its two games last Saturday after splitting games with Washington University in St. Louis, beating Case Western Reserve University in walk-off fashion and losing to Rochester earlier in the week. The Judges finished the tournament at 2-4 and fell to 4-7 overall.
"We had high expectations going into the week," captain and outfielder Mike Alfego '09 said. "We obviously wanted to defend the title, but it's a very strong league-a league of parity-and anybody can beat anybody else in the league on any given day. So now we've got to come back and work harder, so we can move forward."
Last Saturday's game against Rochester was essentially a championship game for both teams as Rochester needed the tiebreaker over Brandeis and the Judges needing two wins on the day to get a share of the UAA title.
The Judges sent captain James Collins '09 to the mound to face a Yellow Jacket offense that has a team batting average of .347. Collins lasted five innings and left the game with the Judges only trailing 5-3. Brandeis came to within 6-5 and cut a 9-7 Rochester lead to 9-8 in the ninth inning but would not come any closer.
"Throughout the game, we basically spotted them four runs on mental mistakes that hurt us bad. If we cut out on those mistakes then it's a very different game," assistant coach Brian Lambert '97 said. "But we fought back and finished the game with two men on base and a line drive that their first baseman made a great play on."
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