From Washington University Athletics
The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team rallied for an exciting 4-3 victory in game one of a University Athletic Association (UAA) doubleheader with No. 10-ranked Case Western Reserve University Saturday afternoon before settling for a split with a 9-1 loss in game two at Kelly Field.
Following the split WashU is 17-13 overall (6-5 UAA) and CWRU is 24-6 (11-4 UAA). The Bears hold a 2-1 series lead over the Spartans and will conclude the four-game series Sunday, April 22 with first pitch scheduled for 11 a.m.
Game 1: WashU 4 – CWRU 3
The Bears rallied for an improbable victory as they trailed 3-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs. Senior Auggie Mense got things started by earning a free pass to first with a walk, followed by a walk by junior Evan Nagel. Sophomore John Brinkman hit a slow roller past the pitcher towards second for an infield single to load the bases.
Sophomore Thomas Gardner was down 1-2 in the count before being struck by a pitch to force in the tying run. Freshman Sean Robinson remained patient at the plate, watching four of five pitches miss the strike zone for the game winner walk-off base-on-balls.
Previously in the game, WashU scored the first run of the game with a run scoring double by Brinkman. Freshman starter Ryan Loutos was in command of the strikezone and routinely mowed down the Spartan batters through five innings.
Entering the sixth inning, Loutos had surrendered just one single. However, the CWRU bats utilized three hits, a hit-by-pitch and walk to take a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
Freshman Troy Bauer entered the seventh inning and kept the Spartans off the scoreboard for 1.2 innings. He was replaced by freshman Jared Fong in the eighth with two inherited runners, but Fong worked the Bears out of the jam with a line out to left field.
Gardner was also hit by a pitch in the eighth inning to spark another two-out rally. He scored on a single through the left side of the infield by freshman Henry Singer to cut the Spartan lead to 3-2.
Freshman Tim Tague pitched the ninth inning working around a leadoff single to keep the score 3-2, which allowed for the late inning heroics in the bottom half of the frame. Tague picked up his fourth victory on the season.
The Bears totaled eight hits combined including 3-for-5 performance by Brinkman and 2-for-4 game by Singer.
Game 2: CWRU 9 – WashU 1
The Bears were unable to get much offense going in the second half of the doubleheader, while the Spartan bats outhit WashU 14-8. Freshman Jack DeSalvo had a solid game, going 2-for-3 with his only out coming on a line drive to centerfield.
Robinson drove in the lone run for the Bears, ending the Spartans shutout attempt. He knocked in freshman Collin Kahal with a sharp liner to right field during the ninth inning.
Fong was solid in relief of sophomore starter Matt Ashbaugh, pitching 4.2 innings with four strikeouts. Fong kept the Spartans lead to 6-0 with four consecutive shutout frames but surrendered three runs in the eighth.
Sophomore Daniel Broadie struck out two of three batters he faced in the eighth before turning the game over to freshman Dominick DiCosimo in the ninth. DiCosimo struck out one batter while not allowing a hit in his first collegiate appearance.