Heading into a season-ending doubleheader at home against Trinity College Sunday, it looked like the baseball team was in a good position to end its season, as well as the careers of its seniors, on a high note. But after the Bantams swept them, the Judges sunk to below .500, capping off a mediocre 2007 campaign.The Judges lost the first game of Sunday's doubleheader 6-1 after Trinity's dominant pitching flustered them, then dropped game two 7-6 after their late-game surge fell short. After finishing 22-13-1 last season and qualifying for the ECAC tournament, the Judges took a step back this year and finished 14-15.

"It's been a real disappointing year," captain Jonathan Winston '07 said. "It's one thing if we had no talent and didn't win, but we have a strong team, [and] we just didn't come together when we needed to."

In game one, starter Tyler Robinson '08 and reliever Kyle Ritchie '10 each gave up two-run homers to the Bantams. Robinson pitched five innings and gave up four runs, only two of which were earned, while striking out four and walking one.

Bantams' junior starter Michael Regan pitched a complete game in just 80 pitches, giving up eight hits.

"Regan hit his spots and mixed speeds up on us," Winston said.

Winston homered in the sixth for Brandeis' only run, only his second blast of the season but the 14th of his career. He went 3-3 in the game.

"My home run was kind of irrelevant," Winston said. "We were down four, and it only gave us one run. If it made a difference it would have felt better."

The Bantams jumped out to an early lead in game two, scoring three unearned runs in the first inning off starter Rocco Toppi '08. Toppi lasted only three innings, giving up four runs and five hits.

The Judges charged back in the bottom of the sixth, however, sending 10 batters to the plate. After Malcolm Cone Coleman '08 and Ben Dashefsky '07 made two quick outs, designated hitter Ryan Healey '10 singled, Winston was hit by a pitch and John O'Brion '10 reached base on a catcher's interference. Third baseman James Likis '10 knocked in two runs with a single, catcher Artie Posch '10 followed with a two-RBI single, and pinch hitter Mike Alfego '09 singled as well to put the tying and winning runs on base.

But the Bantams stopped the bleeding when their coach pulled junior starter Jon Rappaport, replacing him with sophomore reliever Eric McGrath. McGrath struck out the first batter he faced to end the inning to end the Judges' rally.

Brandeis had been on a three-game winning streak heading into Sunday. In all three of those wins, the Judges produced one inning in which at least nine men were sent to the plate.

The Judges crushed Becker College 10-1 Thursday, as the team batted around the lineup in the seventh inning to score seven runs. Dashefsky ended his 12-game hitting streak after going 0-5 in the game.

On Wednesday, Brandeis beat the University of Massachusetts at Boston 8-5 in the rain. The Judges sent nine men to the plate in the seventh off three hits, a walk and two Beacon errors. UMass-Boston struck back in the bottom of the ninth for three runs against James Collins '10, but Mike Dax '08 came in to retire the final two batters for his second save in as many days.

Against Amherst College last Tuesday, Brandeis plated eight runs in the sixth to seize an 11-9 win. The Judges had five hits in the inning, while Amherst made two costly errors. Dashefsky and Healey both went 3-5 in the game.

Brandeis will graduate captains Dashefsky, Winston and shortstop Zach Golden '07, as well as infielders Jeff Bourdon '07 and Shane Butland '07 and pitcher Pete Goodridge '07.

"I'll miss playing, but at the same time I'm ready to move on," Winston said. "[Playing for Brandeis] was fun while it lasted, but it was just too bad [this season] ended the way it did.