Coming off a three-game rut last week, the softball team gave a World Series-worthy performance to finish their weekend tournament 3-1 in Maine.
The Judges warmed up against Colby College on Saturday with a close game, barely submitting to the Mules 6-7. Once the women in blue and white acclimated to the new turf, they rallied to defeat the host, St. Joseph's College, twice (8-1 and 4-0) and put together a decisive 11-1 victory over Bates College. The Judges had lost twice to Bates twice earlier in the season.
"Everyone felt great, and rightfully so," said captain Emily Watterworth '04. "Everyone hit so well, and the defense was impeccable."
In the previous week, Brandeis suffered a disappointing loss to Simmons College at home. The Judges had multiple opportunities to win the game but failed to convert.
Simmons and Brandeis both scored on errors in the first inning. The Sharks led off the scoring with a walk then advanced to third on a wild pitch and a passed ball. A well-placed grounder sent the Shark mascot thrashing across home plate with her teeth bared.
Brandeis answered the early score with a walk by Elissa Glucksman '06. In a stealthy saunter, she stole second base and eventually tied up the game on a strategic grounder to shortstop by Melissa Leber '04.
Pitcher Brianne Smith '06 kept the Sharks off base by whizzing the ball by 11 of the next 12 Simmons batters. A solid hit by Amy Steinnagel of Simmons in the third inning went over the fence to earn the second run that ensured the victory over the Judges.
Brandeis hit well in the game, getting base runners in every inning. Good defense by Simmons in the last five innings sent the Judges in search of rejuvenation to give their tired legs an energy boost. Home plate looked miles away for Sara Albert '04 and Leber in the sixth inning as they stared across the pitch from third and second bases respectively.
Teammates Mari Levine '06 and Smith tried desperately to get on base, but tricky Shark pitching left Brandeis hopes unfulfilled.
Emily Watterworth '04 presented the Judges with yet another opportunity to tie the game in the seventh inning with a double into left field. But she ended the game standing on third base after junior Shark pitcher Annie Hennigan stunned the next two Brandeis batters. Glucksman had the final connection of the game, grounding out to third to end the game, 1-2.
As the week continued, the Judges fell to the Tufts Jumbos on Marcus Field with a series of errors by both teams that produced a 4-5 final score.
Tufts scored one run in each of the first three innings on a wild pitch, an RBI and a Brandeis error. Albert plated and scored unassisted in the first inning on two separate Tufts errors. An RBI single by Leber in the third helped Albert home once again to bring the score to 2-3, Brandeis still trailing.
The top of the sixth inning furnished the Jumbos with the two runs they needed to guarantee their victory. The stamina of the Brandeis women was apparent as they attempted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Glucksman and Christina McWilliams '07 both crossed home plate, but the Judges fell one run short, handing the win to the pachyderms.
As the week wound down, the Judges tried to keep their heads up as they traveled to Milton, Mass. to take on Curry College. Curry, ranked fifth in the most recent New England Division III poll, scored once in the fourth and sixth innings to earn their 2-0 victory. The Judges seemed to have an affinity for first base as batter after batter ended her scoring attempt without rounding the diamond to second. Only two Brandeis runners, Felicity Hanks '04 in the first and Glucksman in third, managed to catch a glimpse of the left side of the diamond. The Judges left the field disheartened, but the optimistic and unrelenting team used their downfalls of the previous week to spur their success at the St. Joseph's tournament.