Senior Kayla Nommensen in action early this season against Carnegie Mellon University. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

The Washington University softball team took an impressive sweep of the Emory University Eagles this past weekend. The Bears dominated the four-game series, winning each game as a team to stay comfortably No. 3in the UAA. With the four wins on the weekend, the Bears’ overall record now stands at 17-15, with a mark of 9-7 in conference play.

“This weekend’s sweep was a great momentum builder going into the final weeks of the season and coming off of our series win against Carnegie,” sophomore Maggie Baumstark said.  “Heading into [the] Emory weekend was remembering that we’re here playing softball for the love of the game. We play for each other and something bigger than ourselves. Playing for the love of the game has been a big factor in us gaining momentum at this point in the season.”

Game 1 was a nailbiter as the Bears defeated Emory 3-2 in extra innings. Emory put a run on the board in the bottom of the first inning, but WashU tied things up in the top of the third inning. Emory scored again in the bottom of the sixth inning, but WashU responded quickly, tying the game in the top of the seventh and final regulation inning. 

The game went to extra innings as neither team could break the deadlock. In the top of the ninth inning, Talkow, who was pinch running after a single by senior Tami Wong, scored what would be the eventual game-winning run on a single by sophomore Olivia Craycraft. Graduate student Holly Stoner picked up her fifth win of the year in the circle, pitching a complete game with two earned runs, four hits, and six strikeouts.

Game 2

In Game 2, the Bears relied on a strong offensive performance to defeat Emory 11-5. The Bears got on the board early in the top of the first inning. After a single from Graduate student Katie Gould, Payton Irwin hit a two-out double to right, scoring Gould for a 1-0 edge. Emory answered with four runs in the bottom of the first, but WashU responded hotly. The Bears exploded for six runs in the top of the second inning. 

The Bears added another run in the top of the fourth inning and two more in the top of the sixth inning. WashU ended up winning the game 11-5, with Jordan Rossi picking up the win in the circle.

Game 3

In Game 3, the Bears dominated Emory with another strong offensive showing, winning 12-1 in just five innings. The Bears put up three runs in the top of the first inning. Although Emory scored a run in the second inning, the Bears maintained the pressure, adding three more runs in the top of the third inning and six runs in the top of the fourth inning With the Bears leading 12-1, the game ended early due to a mercy rule, giving the Bears the victory. Stoner, pitching for the second time in two days, picked up her sixth win of the year in the circle. 

When asked what contributed to their big weekend, Baumstark said “Our pitching staff has been an incredible unit all season, but our offense finally exploded this weekend by stringing well-timed hits together and giving our pitchers breathing room on the scoreboard to do what they do best.”

Final Game

In the last game of the series, the Bears quickly established their dominance with a strong start in the top of the first inning. After sophomore Maggie Baumstark reached base on a fielding error, another error on a Payton Irwin hit allowed sophomore Maggie Baumstark to score, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead. After three scoreless innings, WashU took things up a notch by scoring five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Strong performances by Gould, Baumstark, sophomore Natalia Pilpil, sophomore Erin Reardon, and Wong gave the Bears a commanding 6-0 lead. 

Emory managed to score one run in the bottom of the sixth inning but was unable to come back from the strong performance that the Bears put up in the fifth inning. Gould and Reardon were the top performers for the Bears, each going 2-for-4 with one run scored. Pilpil finished 1-for-3 with two RBIs and scored one run. Rossi, the Bears’ pitcher, was instrumental in their victory, allowing only one earned run and no walks while striking out three opposing batters.

When asked about the impact that this series has had on the team, Baumstark said that the “sweep against Emory was a whole team effort with so many different people coming up clutch and our pitching staff shutting down their offense the whole weekend — four great team wins!” 

The Bears are now No. 3 in the UAA behind Brandeis University’s one-win lead. WashU Softball will head to Boston next week to face the Brandeis Owls in a four-game series for their final UAA matchup of the season.