Baseball Drops 5-4 Decision to Brandeis

Box Score

WALTHAM, Mass. -- Brandeis University senior Tyler Robinson (Manotick, Ont.) tossed his second complete game of the season and rookie outfielder Eric Rosenberg (Oakland, N.J.) hit his first collegiate home run to snap a 3-3 tie in the seventh inning as the Judges defeated visiting Bridgewater State College, 5-4, on Stein Diamond today.

Bridgewater State (11-7) looked like it might make life tough for Robinson in the first inning, as the Bears scored three runs. Senior 3B Mark Claffey (Bellingham, Mass.) led off with a walk, and classmate Steve Smith (East Taunton, Mass.) followed suit one out later. BSC got on the board when the two tried a double steal and the throw to third went into left field, allowing Claffey to score. Robinson got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, but RBI singles from senior DH Dana Hansen (Hanover, Mass.) and senior 2B Kenny Downey (Braintree, Mass.) pushed the lead to 3-0. The Judges escaped further damage when Downey was caught stealing.

Brandeis (11-8) answered with three runs of their own in the fourth, though it could have been worse for the Bears. The first four batters in the inning reached safely against BSC starter Dave Matthews (Williston, Vt.). Judge rookie DH Pat Nicholson (E. Walpole, Mass.) got the Judges on the board with a bases-loaded single, but Bridgewater State rookie RF Jeff Poupolo (Brockton, Mass.) cut down a run at the plate. Rookie LF Tony Deshler (Pepperell, Mass.) followed with an RBI single that drove Matthews from the game. Senior SS Malcolm Cone-Coleman (Portland, Maine) knotted the game, 3-3, with a sacrifice fly that plated Nicholson, but Poupolo threw out his second runner of the inning when Deshler tried to score on senior 2B Chuck Sheehan's (Lexington, Mass.) single.

There were no real threats again until the seventh inning. With one out, Sheehan laid down a perfect bunt single to first base. Rosenberg, who entered as a replacement in the fifth inning, launched a mammoth home run to left-center field, giving Brandeis a 5-3 lead. It was just his third collegiate at-bat.

BSC got one back in the eighth. With one out, Smith singled and Hansen walked with two away. As Robinson looked in for the sign, Smith took off for third, putting runners on the corners. Poupolo singled to left to trim the lead to one, 5-4. Robinson induced a grounder to short to get out of the inning and retired the side in order in the ninth for his fifth career complete game.

Robinson finished with eight strikeouts and four walks. He scattered eight hits and allowed four runs to improve to 4-1 on the season and 16-10 for his career. Offensively, the Judges were paced by sophomore 1B Drake Livada (Cape Elizabeth, Maine), who went 3-4, while Sheehan and Nicholson were both 2-4 with a run scored. Nicholson also had an RBI. Rosenberg's blast was the game's only extra-base hit.

Junior Jeff Sarahs (Whitman, Mass.) suffered the loss for Bridgewater State, as he allowed Rosenberg's home run in the seventh. He went 3-2 innings, giving up five hits, striking out one and walking one. Claffey (2-4, 1 run) and Hansen (2-3, 1 run, 1 RBI) were the only multiple hitters for the Bears.

Smith's single in the eighth gave him 208 hits for his career.  He is now withing seven hits of Ed Grueter's (1988-91) BSC career hit mark of 215.