Baseball heads into season finale on three-game winning streak

Coming off an upset victory over No. 14 DePauw University earlier in the week, the Washington University baseball team picked up two key road wins Sunday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. First, the Bears held on for a 5-4 win over Coe College and then outhit Grinnell College en route to an 11-7 victory.

The Bears fell behind 3-1 to Coe before senior Brandon Rogalski hit a fourth-inning solo homer, and two runs were scored in the fifth inning. Wash. U. extended its lead to 5-3 before Coe drew within one run. With two outs and the tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth, Coe’s JD Hunter singled to center field, but junior Matthew Polites gunned down the runner attempting to score at the plate.

In the Bears’ afternoon game, sloppy fielding led to five seventh-inning unearned runs for Grinnell, tying the score at 7-7 and evaporating an early lead. Wash. U. responded with four runs in the top of the eighth inning, thanks in part to three consecutive doubles from freshman Chris Lowery, Rogalski and freshman Zack Kessinger.

The Bears (27-12) have won three straight games and four of their last five after a five-game losing streak. They conclude their regular season at home Wednesday against Fontbonne University.