The baseball team embarked on its most difficult stretch of the season last week, competing in seven games in classic baseball weather in Sanford, Fla. Brandeis easily handled both of its non-conference opponents and went 2-3 in the University Athletic Association Tournament. It was a marked improvement over last year's efforts, when the team went 1-4, losing all four games by at least six runs. "I think we played some good games, some where our pitching was dominant and others where our situational hitting carried us," shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 said. "Our team was able to contribute on both sides of the field and really displayed resilience during a tough stretch."

In their last game of the weekend, the Judges admirably fought against a powerful Case Western Reserve University team but could not prevail, losing 8-4 to the Spartans. Pat Nicholson '11 took the loss, surrendering four runs over five innings. RBI singles by outfielder Andrew Cohen '13, third baseman Jon Chu '12 and outfielder Nick Cortese '13 put Brandeis within striking distance of overtaking Case after Nicholson settled down, but Case scored four more quick runs to put the game out of reach. Brandeis had immense difficulty handling Emory University in the tournament, ceding 12 runs last Saturday in their second loss of the week to the Eagles. Pitcher Colin Markel '14, making his second start of the week, held up well against a potent Eagles offense until the fourth inning, when the Eagles started scoring in bunches. Brandeis put together five runs in the second and third innings on just one hit, a two-run single by Schwartz. Leading 8-5 in the fifth inning, the Eagles' pitching staff shut down the Brandeis offense and never looked back, tacking on four more runs for a 12-5 victory.

The Judges bested Washington University in St. Louis the day before with a 5-2 win. Once again, Brandeis relied on solid starting pitching, this time from John McGrath '11. McGrath gave up just 1 earned run over seven and two-thirds innings. The Judges kept the game tight, matching the Bears pitch for pitch, until Brandeis blew the game open with a four-run seventh inning. Chu and Cortese contributed RBI singles while Tony Deshler '11 had a two-run double. Nicholson locked down the save for Brandeis.

Brandeis earned its first UAA win of the season in a thrilling 12-inning, 7-6 victory over the University of Rochester. Dylan Britton '13 pitched six innings of one-run ball. By the seventh inning, it looked like a low-scoring affair, the only run coming from a RBI single by catcher/outfielder Kenny Destremps '12. In the next three innings, however, the teams combined for 11 runs. RBI singles by Schwartz and Deshler in addition to a few key errors at the top of the ninth inning pushed the game into extra innings tied at 6. It was a stalemate until first baseman Eric Rosenberg '11 hit a single into center in the 12th, notching the game-winner for the Judges. Brian Ing '14 stepped up and pitched three innings of shutout ball in extra innings to secure the 7-6 victory.

However, the Judges did not start off well in their slate of UAA games, getting blown out 11-3 by Emory. pitcher Mike Swerdloff '13 was hit hard in his start, giving up nine runs, though only four were earned. He lasted five and two-thirds innings. The Judges tied the game at 2 in the third inning on RBI singles by Deshler and outfielder Zach Malis '12. From there, Emory tagged the Judges' pitching staff for nine runs, with the Judges scoring just once the rest of the way.

In non-conference action, Brandeis won a nail-biting 3-2 victory over Mount Saint Mary College. The pitching was nearly flawless, with Colin Markel '14 providing four strong innings to start the game. From there, Alex Tynan '12 pitched one and two-thirds innings to secure his second win of the season, with Swerdloff earning his first save. It was a classic pitcher's duel between the two teams until the bottom of the fourth inning, when Rosenberg belted an RBI triple and Malis knocked in another runner to take a 2-0 lead. The Judges never relinquished the lead, and won 3-2.

In their first game of the week, the Brandeis offense exploded for 12 runs against Drew University to win the game by a score of 12-6. Ing started for the Judges, but only lasted an inning, giving up 2 runs on two hits. McGrath and Jessie Link '13 then combined for six strong innings, allowing one run each. Link earned the victory for the Judges. Brandeis immediately tacked four runs on the scoreboard, thanks in large part to a two-run triple by Deshler. The Judges ran away with the game in the third inning, puting together four more runs.

Reflecting on the tournament, Schwartz thinks the team has room for improvement heading into the next part of its season. "What we're lacking right now is consistency," he said. "We have to cut down the mental mistakes and focus for all nine innings. This tournament definitely showed we have the potential to win a lot of games in the next few months."

The Judges will play just one game this week, on Thursday at Bridgewater State University.