The Judges got off on the right foot in their second Florida road trip, defeating Case Western Reserve University 4-2 last Tuesday.

Yet, the squad's bats soon went cold, resulting in five consecutive losses, all to University Athletic Association rivals.

The Judges, now 4-10 overall and 2-6 in UAA play, lost to the University of Rochester, Emory University, Washington University in St. Louis and Case last week.

"Unfortunately, our hitting wasn't really too stellar while we were down there, but we definitely know some things that we need to work on and some things we need to execute better," said first baseman Pat Seaward '13. 

The Judges committed three errors in a 7-3 loss against Rochester last Saturday. 

With the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Rochester scored two runs, and although the Judges answered back with a run in top of the sixth, the YellowJackets scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh to preserve the win.

Starting pitcher Mike Swerdloff '13 logged six and two-thirds innings in the loss; however, only four of the six runs he allowed were earned. He struck out two Rochester batters and walked only one.

Shortstop Brian Allen '15 recorded three singles in three at-bats, while third baseman Kevin Barry '14 and left fielder Nick Cortese '13 each had two hits. Barry drove in two runners, while Cortese had the other RBI.

Brandeis also lost to Emory 9-4 last Friday. Emory scored runs in five of nine innings, including three in the first. 

The Judges responded by scoring two runs in the first. However their momentum was short-lived, as from there they only scored one run in the sixth and one in the eighth.

Barry led the offensive attack for the team, going three-for-four with two RBIs as part of a 12-hit effort. Center fielder Liam O'Connor '16 contributed with four singles in the leadoff position.

Last Thursday, the team was shutout 12-0 by Case. The Judges recorded five hits and three errors in the loss. All of the hits were singles, and no player had more than one hit in the game.

The Spartans used four pitchers to secure the shutout, scoring one run in the first, six in the second, one in the fourth and four in the ninth inning.

The Judges began their losing streak, though, by dropping a double-header to Emory and WashU last Wednesday.

In the 8-6 defeat to Emory, the Judges led 5-4 going into the bottom of the seventh. 

However, the Eagles scored four runs, including one on a throwing error and one on a wild pitch, to take the lead.

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The Judges did score once in the top of the ninth, but they failed to make a complete comeback.

In the loss to Emory, O'Connor went three-for-five with three RBIs. Barry had three hits and two walks, while right fielder Brian Ing '14 also recorded three hits.

Against WashU, the Judges surrendered 16 hits in a 13-5 loss versus the Bears. 

The Judges trailed 10-0 going into the bottom of the sixth, but they scored five runs in the inning, two of which were unearned.

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Although the Judges are currently on a five-game losing streak, they defeated Case 4-2 in 10 innings last Tuesday, which put them on a two-game winning streak following a big win against Rochester 5-3 on March 11.

The game was deadlocked 1-1 going into the top of the 10th, but the Judges scored three runs. With the bases loaded and one out, Ing hit a sacrifice fly that scored shortstop Rob Trenk '15. 

Seaward then hit a two-run single to right field to give the Judges a three-run lead.

Case did score once in the bottom of the inning, but the Judges held on to secure a very important conference victory.

In the win, starting pitcher Dylan Britton '13 went nine innings, allowing eight hits as well as both runs.

Britton came out to pitch the 10th, but after allowing a leadoff single, relief pitcher Craig Rothenberg '16 was called in to record the final three outs. 

Rothenberg allowed one hit and one walk, but he recorded the first save of his career at Brandeis.

With the team about to begin to  play opponents in New England, Seaward said that they must focus on the upcoming games instead of dwelling on the hardships they encountered on the road.

"We just really want to focus and keep our heads up and try to win as many games as we can in Massachusetts," he said.

The team next plays at Bridgewater State University this afternoon at 3 p.m. 

The Judges then face Wentworth Institute of Technology on Wednesday at 3 p.m., followed by a road game against local foe Suffolk University on Sunday at 1 p.m.