Trinity Baseball Defeated by Brandeis, 5-1

Captain Christian Orsini '18

Hartford, Conn. - Brandeis starting pitcher Greg Tobin (Medway, Mass.) struck out nine while allowing just one run in a complete game victory as the Judges defeated the Trinity College Bantams, 5-1, on Friday afternoon at Murren Family Field at DiBenedetto Stadium. The Bantams fall to 2-6 overall while Brandeis improves to 2-6 on the year. Trinity returns to the diamond tomorrow for a doubleheader at home versus the Westfield State Owls, beginning at noon.

Senior captain CF Christian Orsini (Livingston, N.J.) and sophomore SS Matt Koperniak (Adams, Mass.) were the only two Bantams to record multiple hits as Tobin scattered eight across the nine innings. Orsini finished 2-for-3 with a triple, a stolen base and a run, while Koperniak went 3-for-4 in his fourth multi-hit game of the spring. Trinity rookie starter Justin Olson (Avon, Conn.) went six innings in the loss, allowing three earned while striking out four. 

Brandeis struck first in the top of the first when Isaac Fossas (Dudley, Mass.) singled up the middle to score Victor Oppenheimer (West Hills, Calif.) who reached on a base hit of his own earlier in the inning. Both pitchers held strong for the next four innings before trading runs in the sixth to make it a 2-1 ballgame in favor of the Judges.

Brandeis took a 2-0 lead in the top of the sixth when Dan O'Leary (Lynnfield, Mass.) drove home Dan Frey (Ipswich, Mass.) on a two-out, RBI-single. The Bantams chipped away at the deficit in the home half when Orsini led things off with a triple to the right-centerfield gap before coming around to score on a sacrifice fly to left field. Koperniak kept the line moving with a base hit but Tobin limited the damage to the lone run, his only blemish on the day, to keep the lead at 2-1.

The Judges put up a two-spot in the seventh thanks to a RBI-single by Scott Ziegler (Avon, Conn.) and a fielder's choice RBI from Frey to open up a 4-1 lead. The Bantams went hitless in the seventh and eighth innings before Frey scored in the top of the ninth to make it a 5-1 game in favor of the visitors. Trinity made things interesting in the bottom of the ninth, leading off with singles by Koperniak and first-year DH Eric Thronson (McLean, Va.), but Tobin retired the side after that to seal the four-run victory.