Baseball
The baseball team (1-1) began its season last Friday afternoon, splitting a doubleheader with Florida International University.
In the first game, pitcher Will Weidig '10 turned in a strong effort in his first start of the season, allowing three runs over eight innings pitched, while recording five strikeouts and no walks. Shortstopand captain Matt Nuzzo '09 blasted a two-run homer in the top of the seventh to give Brown a 2-1 lead, but two runs in the bottom of the inning secured the 3-2 win for FIU.
In the second game, Brown trailed 4-0 in the sixth inning, but the Bears exploded for six runs in the bottom of the inning and went on to win, 7-4. Mark Gormley '11 had a solid start, giving up four runs, three of them earned, over six innings to get the win, and Matt Kimball '11 got the save with three shutout innings. Designated hitter Pete Greskoff '11 registered Brown's only multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4, while Nuzzo picked up another two RBIs.
The rain ended the trip early and kept the Bears from playing their final two match-ups with Coastal Carolina and West Virginia.
This weekend, the team will head down to Alabama for a three-game series with Auburn.
Softball
The softball team (1-3) opened its season with a win on Friday afternoon, before dropping its next three games at the Lady Gaels Classic.
In the first game, Amanda Asay '10 gave Brown a 2-0 lead over Binghamton with a home run in the top of the second inning. Kate Strobel '12, playing in her first collegiate game, led off the top of the fourth inning with a homer of her own, and the Bears added two more runs to finish out the inning. Brown would go on to win, 9-1, as Asay and Strobel each finished with two hits and three RBIs, and Michelle Moses '09 struck out ten batters, allowing just one run in a complete game effort.
In the second game, the Bears faced host St. Mary's, who took advantage of five Brown errors to cruise to a 13-3 win, despite a 3-for-3 performance at the plate from Asay.
In a rematch with Binghamton on Saturday, Brown saw some great pitching from Trish Melvin '12 and Moses, but the offense managed just five hits and the Bears dropped a tough 1-0 decision.
Later on Saturday, Asay and Kelsey Wilson '09 each got two hits, but an explosive Utah Valley University offense was too much for the Bears to overcome, as they lost 11-3.
Asay went 8-for-9 at the plate over the four games and led the team with four runs scored.
Due to rain, the rest of the tournament was cancelled.
The team will return to action on Mar. 13, when the Bears will travel to South Carolina for the Adidas Tournament.
Fencing
The men's and women's fencing teams competed at the International Fencing Association Championships over the weekend. Joseph Isaacson '11 was the only one from the men's team to place in the final standings, earning ninth place in the saber. For the women, Deborah Gorth '09 finished fifth in the saber, while Charlotte Rose '09 also placed in saber, coming in fifteenth.
On Mar. 8, both squads will compete at the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament at MIT, where several members of the team will vie for a spot in the NCAA Championships.
Women's lacrosse
The women's lacrosse team (1-1) was handed its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 11-7 to Hofstra at home. After Brown fell behind 3-0, Lauren Vitkus '09 scored two goals in a 30-second span to pull the Bears within one goal, but Hofstra jumped out to an 8-3 halftime lead.
Hofstra expanded that lead to 11-3, and though Brown finished the game with four unanswered goals to make a dent in the Pride's lead, it was too little too late.
Bethany Buzzell '10 tied Vitkus for the team lead with two goals, while Molly McCarthy '10 tallied two assists on the day, and Isabel Harvey '12 made a career-high 12 saves in goal for the Bears.
The team will resume competition in a match-up with the SUNY-Albany at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.
