The Washington University baseball team capped off a successful weekend of play on Sunday, winning their third game and clinching the series against New York University.

The weekend started off strong, as the Bears took the first game, 4-1. In the first inning, sophomore John Brinkman helped the Bears set the tone by hitting a sacrifice fly out to center field, allowing freshman Henry Singer to score the first run of the game. However, NYU responded with a solo homer from Colman Hendershot, tying the game at one. Both teams offered strong defensive stands in the second and third innings, until sophomore John Ostrander provided an RBI double down the right side, regaining the lead for Wash. U. Once the Red and Green gained the lead, they never looked back. Junior Evan Nagel singled down the right side, allowing Ostrander to cross home plate and extend the Bears’ lead to 3-1. To cap off a great performance, Ostrander stole third, then scored off of an error in the top of the ninth.

Grace Bruton | Student Life

Evan Nagel is congratulated by his team after scoring against Buena Vista on Mar. 4. This weekend, Nagel scored two runs as the Bears took three games in a four game series at NYU.

The next day followed with a doubleheader. Saturday’s first game also began with a sacrifice fly, this time by Ostrander. Senior Auggie Mense then ran home to chalk up the first points of the day for the Red and Green. NYU would respond in the bottom of the third with an RBI single from Jonathan Iaione, allowing Isaac Martinez to cross home plate and tie the game at one point apiece. Wash. U. reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth due to an error by NYU, as a wild pitch allowed Nagel to score. Wash. U. would go on to score two more runs in the top of the fifth. A sacrifice fly by sophomore AJ Dunham and an RBI single by freshman Collin Kahal put Wash. U. up 5-1 heading into the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Brian Schutter provided the dagger in the top of the 8th, hitting a sacrifice fly to allow sophomore Thomas Gardner to score, making the score 6-1 in favor of the Bears. NYU scored a consolation run in the bottom of the eighth; however, it was just a case of too little, too late. After a brief intermission, the third game of the series was underway.

Wash. U. started off strong again in the third game, as Dunham scored off of another wild pitch from NYU. Freshman Jack Desalvo then extended the Wash. U. lead to 2-0 after a fielding error from NYU. After the second inning, it seemed as if everything was going to go Wash. U.’s way for the third time in a row. However NYU, determined to not be swept in the series, took their offence to a whole new level. In the bottom of the fourth, NYU’s Jonathan Iaione scored off of a throwing error. NYU then took the lead in the bottom of the sixth: Coltrane Tait tied the game off of a grounder by Isaac Martinez, then Jack Walter was hit with a wild pitch while the bases were loaded, allowing Cooper Halpern to score. NYU then closed out the game with a score from Isaac Martinez after a wild pitch, as the Bears suffered their only defeat of the weekend, 4-2.

The Bears closed out their weekend of play on Sunday. In a much better defensive showing by the Bears, NYU found it hard to capitalize on their opportunities to get men on base. Wash. U. opened the scoring with a ground-out RBI to third from freshman Mitchell Black, allowing Nagel to score. Later on in the bottom of the fifth, Brinkman walked with the bases loaded, leading to another score for the Bears. Finally, Dunham supplied an RBI double to finish the game off in the bottom of the sixth.

Wash. U. finished the weekend 14-8 overall, and 3-1 in UAA play. The series against NYU raised the Bears’ strength of schedule to 15th in the country, according to d3baseball.com. Their next matchup will be against Webster on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00 p.m.