The baseball team looked sharp as it continued its homestand last week, winning all three of its games to improve to 13-10 on the season. Brandeis easily defeated Suffolk University and then proceeded to score 19 runs en route to sweeping a doubleheader against Worcester Polytechnic Institute last Sunday afternoon. Rookie shortstop Dominic Schwartz '14 was proud of the team's effort.

"We're getting much better and that shows based on our wins this week," he said.

In the second game against WPI, the Judges were able to hold on for an 8-7 win after a furious comeback by WPI in the ninth inning. Pitcher Michael Swerdloff '13 turned in a dominant performance for his second win of the season, giving up two runs over six innings while striking out a season-high 11 batters.

Brandeis scattered eight runs throughout the game, beginning with back-to-back RBI doubles from catcher Chris Ferro '12 and first baseman Eric Rosenberg '11 in the first inning. Following a sacrifice fly in the second inning, Sean O'Hare '12 and Brian Ing '14 contributed consecutive RBI singles in the third inning to stretch the lead to 5-0. In the sixth inning, Brandeis continued its offensive outburst, with an RBI triple from outfielder Tony Deshler '11 and then a final RBI single from outfielder Nick Cortese '13.

With an 8-2 lead in the seventh inning and star pitcher Pat Nicholson '11 on the mound, the Judges thought that they had locked up the victory. However, Nicholson ceded a grand slam, and suddenly the game was within reach for WPI. However, Nicholson calmed down and secured the last two outs to secure an 8-7 win.

Schwartz said that the Judges should have been able to avoid such a close call.

"This proved to us we need to be competitive in every match, not only at the start but also in the bottom of the seventh inning, regardless of the outcome," he said.

Earlier in the day, Brandeis' offense was even more prolific, pouring in 12 runs to take the game by a score of 12-5. Dylan Britton '13 pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing four earned runs on the day. Nicholson, McGrath, and pitcher Alex Tynan '12 all put forth scoreless efforts to keep the game out of reach for WPI.

The Judges began their run-scoring binge with a two-run homer by Ferro in the first and a crushing three-run long ball by Deshler to give the team a lead it would never relinquish. After three more runs with the small ball, the Judges ended the game with an explosive four-run sixth. Nicholson ripped a single to left field, which brought in Cortese and Deshler, Ferro bashed an RBI triple and Rosenberg belted a sacrifice fly to ensure a 12-5 Brandeis win.

The Judges started the week against Suffolk University last Wednesday with a 6-4 win. John McGrath '11 earned his fourth victory of the season, giving up three runs and striking out five in 7 and a 1/3 innings of work. Nicholson went the rest of the way, pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings to notch his first save of the season.

Suffolk held on to a 2-0 lead going into the fourth inning before Brandeis' bats finally awoke. After back-to-back singles, Ferro dropped a perfect bunt single, driving Cortese home. O'Hare then drilled a grounder right to the pitcher, but the ball was mishandled, allowing Nicholson and Ferro to race home to give Brandeis a 3-2 lead.

In the fifth inning, the Judges capitalized on more poor defense from Suffolk. After Britton reached first on an error by the shortstop, he moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Schwartz and a ground out by Deshler. Cortese then smacked a grounder to short which was mishandled, giving Britton the opportunity to race home. Ferro then put the game away with a 2-run double, giving the Judges a 6-2 lead. The four run lead was all the Brandeis pitching staff needed, and the team won 6-4.

Overall, Schwartz was positive about the team's direction at this point of the season. "We're heading in the right direction, but there are still a lot of things we can improve on at the plate, on the bases and in the field," he said. "Once we cut down on some of the little mistakes, we will be a really tough team to beat."

Brandeis will host Tufts University this afternoon at 3 p.m.