The NYU baseball team squared off against the Emory University Eagles on March 13, ending in a 5-0 defeat. The Eagles began on a positive note, quickly scoring one run, followed by four more in the third, fourth, fifth and ninth inning.

The Violets played again the following day, this time against Brandeis University. The game was close, but NYU again lost, this time 8-6. Brandeis opened the match with fervor, scoring two runs in the first inning. The Violets trailed close behind, scoring three in the second, only to come up just short again.

They took the field once more on March 15, competing with the University of Rochester Yellowjackets to conclude the UAA Championship with a 12-0 loss. The Violets tenaciously fought to overtake the opponent, loading the bases three times, but were unable to knock the runners home.

In spite of the string of defeats, sophomore outfielder Adrian Spitz remains optimistic.

“Things are only going to get better over time,” Spitz said. “We have a ton of freshmen with a lot of potential.”

The team confirmed this on Wednesday when it finished a doubleheader against Cairn University with two impressive wins of 12-7 and 10-2. NYU gained a quick lead in the beginning of the first game by scoring six runs, thanks to some timely singles and errors from Cairn. The second match played out similarly, as NYU scored four at the start to take an early two run lead. Cairn was unable to rally, giving up two runs in the second inning and four more in the fourth. The wins brought NYU to 5-8 for the season. They will take the field again on March 25 to play Maritime College.

The softball team got off to a similarly slow start for the week, dropping two UAA Championship games on March 14. The first game concluded in an 8-3 loss to University of Rochester, followed by an 11-4 loss to Washington University in St. Louis. Rochester took the initial lead, scoring three runs in the first inning and four more in the second and third. NYU quickly rallied by scoring three runs, but ultimately failed to complete a comeback.

The second match against WashU started on a more positive note, as the Violets garnered an early three-run lead. However, the Bears made a fast comeback, taking a six-run lead. They pulled ahead even further by adding five more runs in the later innings.

The Violets then ended their first-ever UAA Championship on March 15 when they suffered an 11-3 defeat to the Case Western Reserve University Spartans. The Spartans grabbed a four run lead at the start, which gave them the advantage they needed to conclude the match eight runs ahead. The Violets took runs in the first, third and fifth innings, but they were unable to overtake the Spartans.

Sunday was a different story for the Violets. They won their first two games in the program’s history against Brooklyn College with scores of 10-1 and 5-2. The first game was tied at the bottom of the first, as each team scored one run. From there, the Violets powered ahead, leading by two runs in the fifth and then raking in an astonishing seven points at the end to ensure the win. The second game was closer, but the Violets were able to gain a three-point lead early on that swept them to success.

They will take the field again later this week on Thursday in Hoboken against Stevens Institute of Technology, as their Tuesday home game against Purchase College has been postponed.

A version of this article appeared in the March 23 print edition. Email Stanley Wu at [email protected].