The Justice

Media Credit: David Sheppard-Brick Center fielder Carly Schmand '11 thows in a ball from the outfield during the Judges' run in the ECAC tournament.

Last season, the Brandeis softball team came from behind to defeat Keene State College to win the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England Championships. This year, the Judges fell behind early again but could not repeat last season's theatrics.

Instead, the top-seeded Judges fell 11-1 in five innings in the championship game at home May 10 after losing to the second-seeded Owls 6-3 May 9. The first loss moved the Judges to an elimination game against sixth-seeded Plymouth State University. Brandeis won that game 6-4 to advance to the championship rematch.

In the finals, Keene State gained an early lead with a solo home run in the top of the first inning by sophomore right fielder Ashley Annis, her first of the season. But the real damage came in the second inning, when the Owls scored nine runs, six of which came off of Brandeis rookie starting pitcher Caroline Miller '12. Miller started the season 11-3 but struggled with a 1-3 record in her last five starts.

Relief pitcher Allie Mussen '10 tried to limit the damage but gave up four runs, two of them earned, in one-plus innings. The Owls had batted around in the second inning before the Judges recorded an out.

"I think that [the Keene State players] are definitely stronger than they were last season, but we're also a different team than we were last season," Mussen said. "I think that their hitting definitely got stronger. … They are very consistent hitters, and they played excellent defense [Sunday]; they made every play."

Earlier in the day, the Judges advanced to the finals with an elimination-game victory over Plymouth State. The game was tied at three in the bottom of the fifth inning when rookie Brittany Grimm '12 hit a two-RBI single to give Brandeis a lead they would never relinquish.

Grimm finished the season with a .282 batting average and finished fourth on the team with 17 runs scored.

"[Grimm] is a great young player, and she's going to continue to get better," Mussen said. "I see her doing great things for us. She'll only get stronger and be more consistent. … She's been thrown around and she's adjusted to it, so maybe, hopefully, next year she'll find a more permanent spot so that she can really focus on that, but either way, I think that she's going to continue to work hard and do great things for us."

Continued...

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