The Suffolk University Baseball team (19-12 overall) scored eight times with two outs in the home half of the seventh inning to come from behind and top the Brandeis University Judges (9-21 overall), 13-7 for their sixth win in a row on Friday afternoon.
Freshman Mike Cunningham (Syosset, N.Y.) singled to left to break a 6-6 tie and give the Rams the lead as they sent 13 hitters to the plate in the seventh. Trailing 6-4 to start the inning, senior Bobby Barrett (Milton, Mass.) got the rally started singling for the first of his two hits in the inning. The Suffolk offense would follow up with five consecutive hits after that. Freshman Jhonneris Mendez (Roslindale, Mass.) singled home a run to draw the game to a six all tie, before Cunningham’s laser to left on a 2-2 count gave the Rams the lead for good. With the bases loaded, senior Rory Gentile (Gloucester, Mass.) and freshman Chris Stanley (Orange County, Calif.) were both hit by pitches to force in two more Suffolk runs before Barrett would break the game open with a double to knock in a pair down the right field line as the Rams took a 12-6 lead after seven innings of play.
Brandeis got of the gates early scoring three runs in the first. Junior Tony Deschler (Peperell, Mass.) led the game off crushing a 3-1 offering from Suffolk starter Chris Campbell (Orchard Park, N.Y.) for his second home run of the season. The Judges would add two more runs in the first taking advantage of two Rams’ errors.
Suffolk answered quick in the bottom half of the first as Barrett and senior Marc Doyle (Whitman, Mass.) both picked up RBIs on groundouts. Gentile led the inning off with a single, before Stanley reach on an infield chopper. An errant throw on Stanley’s hit would put two runners in scoring position for Suffolk with no outs.
The Rams would even the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the third, again doing damage with two outs as Doyle doubled to left center and then came around to score on a chopper up the middle off of the bat of Babb.
Brandeis would grab two more runs in the fifth as freshman Chris Ferro (Walpole, Mass.) drove in a run with a fielder’s choice. Junior Eric Rosenberg (Oakland, N.J.) singled home another run to make the score 5-3, but Suffolk escaped further trouble as Babb hosed senior Artie Posch (Hopedale, Mass.) at the plate trying to score on the play to end the inning.
Suffolk had a season-high 21 hits in the game as the Rams had six players record multiple hits in the game. Babb was 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI, including two doubles, two runs scored and also picked up two assists from right field. Cunningham was 2-for-2 on the day, His pinch-hit single in the seventh was perhaps the game’s biggest hit. He would also add an insurance run in the eighth with another RBI-single.
Barrett, Doyle and junior Mark Addesa (Revere, Mass.) all had three hits each in the game for Suffolk .
Ferro and Deschler each had three this for the Judges who had 14 hits in the game as a team. Sophomore Jon Chu (Hollis Hills, N.Y.) connected on his first home run of the season in the seventh. Chu finished the day 2-for-5.
Campbell picked up his first collegiate victory going seven strong innings for Suffolk. The freshman right-hander settled down after a shaky first inning going seven innings striking out four, only allowing four earned runs on 10 hits. Sophomore Charles Kilgore (Milford, N.H.) pitched the final two innings for Suffolk.
Both teams will be back in action on Sunday. The Judges will travel to Hartford for a double-header with Trinity College beginning at 1:00pm. Suffolk will travel to New Hampshire to take on Keene State in non-conference action beginning at 1:00pm.