Despite a slow start, the baseball team walked away from their first week of conference play in Florida with a 2-2 record. After losing their opening games to Washington University in St. Louis 10-1 and the University of Rochester 4-2, the Judges beat Emory University 14-3 and Case Western Reserve 9-3 in a double-header on Sunday.

The Judges also played Washington University again last night in a game that ended after press time.

Spirits were high after the Judges' most recent win over Case Western. The offense, anemic earlier in the week, came out with a vengeance as the first five Judges at bat landed on base, driving in three runs in the first inning alone.

"We broke out today," outfielder Steve Simolaris '07 said. "The first two games, we didn't produce. But then [against Emory and Case Western] we had 23 combined runs."

Designated hitter Dan Lavin '05 opened the game by cleaving the ball to left-center and pulling off a double. He was soon batted in for the first run of the game.

First baseman Jeff Krasner '05 pulled off his own double and had an RBI in the team's second at-bat.

Chris McDonough '07 pitched eight innings for the Judges, allowing six hits and three earned runs with two strikeouts.

"We set the tone early by getting on base," Lavin said. "We got some runs early. We didn't play from behind. We were able to set good momentum, and keep it going."

Outfielder Ben Dashefsky '07 had a single in the next at-bat to score Krasner before coming home himself to give the Judges a 3-0 lead that they never relinquished.

The Judges continued the onslaught in the sixth inning, as outfielder Joe Loynd '06 hit a double with the bases loaded, bringing home three runs.

Loynd scored shortly after, bringing the Judges to an 8-1 lead by the end of the inning.

Lavin led the Judges from the plate, going 3-4 with a double, a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Krassner went 4-5 at the plate while catcher Jonathan Winston '07 was also 3-4.

Only a few hours before dispatching the Tartans, the Judges brutally beat UAA-defending champion Emory University 14-3 for the Judges' first win of the season.

"Everyone just wanted to win," Dashefsky said. "We had timely hitting, and no errors. We took advantage of their mistakes."

Second basemen B.J. Belair '05 opened the scoring with a home-run to left field, bringing in third baseman Jeff Bourdon '07 to give the Judges a 2-0 lead.

The Judges went on to score five runs in the third inning, and Emory never threatened again.

While the Judges' bats were on fire in their last two games, the season's first two contests proved to be a much different story.

Washington University thumped the Judges 10-1 on Saturday, one day after Brandeis dropped their first game of the season, a 4-2 loss at the hands of the University of Rochester.

The Judges' offensive struggles began the day before with a 4-2 loss to the University of Rochester.

"Pitching was there," Lavin said. "[But] we missed a few key hits. We did not execute when we needed to."

The Judges' two more recent games would seem to indicate a brighter future. With three first-year pitchers, things can only get better.

Craig Letendre '08 allowed only nine hits over the five innings he pitched in the Emory game, striking out three, while Chris McDonough '08 allowed six hits in eight innings, striking out two.

"They both looked really good," Dashefsky said. "They hit their spots, they came ready to go."

"Everyone is coming back to mid-season form," Simolaris said. "We just needed a few games under our belts to get into that familiar stride and to start producing. I can't see our hitting going down from here."

The Judges continue their spring season in Florida through Saturday.

After finishing UAA competition with a game against Emory today, the Judges finish up their spring season with games against Rochester Polytechnic Institute, West Virginia Wesleyan and Ohio Dominican.

The Judges begin their home season next week with games against Wentworth Tech next Tuesday and Endicott College on Wednesday.