New York University’s baseball team split a doubleheader against Brandeis University on April 11 in Waltham, Massachusetts. The Violets secured a decisive win in the first game but fell to Brandeis in the second, continuing their four-game University Athletic Association series.
The outcome is significant for both teams as they compete for standing within the conference. NYU improved its record to 9-13 overall and 3-8 in conference play, while Brandeis moved to 14-11 overall and 6-5 in the UAA.
In game one, NYU scored nine unanswered runs after a back-and-forth start, ultimately winning 17-5. Aidan Howladar opened scoring with an RBI single in the second inning. Kosta Mocklis extended NYU’s lead with his fifth home run of the season. Trailing by one run in the fifth inning, Jack Kelman hit his first career home run to spark a six-run rally that put NYU ahead for good. Dominic Holton also homered during that inning and later added a two-run triple as part of a five-run seventh inning for NYU.
Game two saw Brandeis dominate from the outset, building a large lead and finishing with a run-rule victory at 27-3 after seven innings. The Judges’ pitching limited NYU to just three hits; Bobby Kuenzler broke up Jacob Maurer’s no-hitter with a single in the fifth inning.
Notable performances included CJ Franchini extending his hit streak to ten games (he did not play game two), Mocklis hitting his sixteenth career home run, and Kelman recording his first career homerun. Nine different Violets contributed RBIs during game one—a season high—and Ansel Balmer struck out five of eleven batters faced.
NYU will conclude its series against Brandeis on April 12 at 11:00 am.
