Last week's action saw the baseball team's bats catch fire as the Judges averaged 7.4 runs per game in five games with four players combined to hit six home runs. Unfortunately for Brandeis, the offensive success could not match that of its opponents as the Judges allowed 10 runs per game over the five-game stretch en route to a 1-4 week that put the team record at 11-14 with 18 games left in the season.The Judges played all five games at home, opening with a loss to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 8-2 last Tuesday and then to Fitchburg State College 9-7 last Thursday. The team next split a doubleheader with Clark University last Saturday, taking the first game 13-6 and dropping the second 10-7 but closed out the week with a lopsided 17-8 defeat at the hands of Keene State College.

"The worst part is that we're scoring runs, then we'll give up a walk and make an error," assistant coach Brian Lambert '97 said. "We're scoring our runs by capitalizing on other teams' mistakes, but we're giving other teams those same opportunities, and they're killing us."

Last Sunday's 17-8 loss against Keene State featured six total home runs split evenly between the two teams. The Judges trailed by as few as two runs at 7-5 in the fifth inning but gave up three runs in the top of the sixth inning to fall behind 10-5. Keene State never looked back as the Owls continued to outscore the Judges 7-3 over the final three innings.

Keene State's outpouring of runs came with 20 total team hits, nine of which were for extra bases. The Owls scored in double digits for the 10th time in only 19 games this season as they lifted their team batting average to .370.

Brandeis starting pitcher Kyle Ritchie '10 took the brunt of the abuse and the eventual loss for the Judges, lasting 5 1/3 innings and surrendering 10 runs, seven of which were earned, to fall to 1-3 on the season.

"[Ritchie] wasn't necessarily making bad pitches and missing spots," third baseman Tony Deshler '11 said. "They were a really good hitting team. They'd hit balls out of the zone and then anything."

The Judges offense was paced by a 2-for-2 performance from first baseman Pat Nicholson '11, who hit his first home run of the year and added a double to finish with two RBIs. Shortstop Sean O'Hare '12 went 3-for-4 with a walk, while designated hitter Drake Livada '10 added an eighth inning pinch-hit home run to add the last two runs for the Judges.

Deshler also hit well last Sunday, going 2-for-5 with a home run, his second in two days. The performance was the culmination of a week in which Deshler hit safely in all five games with two doubles and two home runs while starting games at center field, shortstop and third base.

"[Deshler is] very talented and can play anywhere on the field," Lambert said. "He's been able to fill in at outfield, shortstop, third base while being one of the best hitters in the lineup, so that versatility has definitely helped [the lineup]."

Last Saturday's doubleheader against Clark University saw the Judges take one of two games despite recording 20 runs in the two games.

After returning full time from a hip injury he suffered last fall, captain second baseman John O'Brion '10 paced the Judges in the first game, going 2-for-3 with a home run to finish with four RBIs. Deshler, playing shortstop, went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Pitcher Drew Brzozowski '10 started for Brandeis and picked up the win to improve to 3-1, lasting 6 1/3 innings, giving up six runs, five earned, while striking out four and walking two.

In the second game, the Cougars jumped out to an early lead, converting a two-out Brandeis error into five unearned runs via two-run and three-run home runs. The Judges fought back in the bottom of the fourth, capitalizing on a Cougar error and wild pitch.

With the score tied at seven in the sixth inning, left-handed pitcher Justin Duncombe '11 entered the game and exited four batters and one-third of an inning later with the loss. After Duncombe gave up a double, Clark freshman Mitchell DeLorenzo hit a two-run homerun to centerfield that gave the Cougars the lead. They added one more insurance run to win 10-7.

In the team's previous games against MIT and Fitchburg State, the Judges surrendered six unearned runs due to errors, combining to give up 17 runs overall.

"Errors are obviously never good, but they've been coming back to kill us consistently," Deshler said. "We're swinging the bat better, but it seems like half of the runs that we give up are unearned, and we need to get better."

The team will next play today at home against Tufts University at 3 p.m.