Shane Pellegrino (17) and Kaden Bernhard (24) have combined for 14 RBIs in just six games. (Jialing Sun | Student Life)

Coming off of an opening weekend sweep, the Washington University baseball team had a three-game weekend against the Coe College Kohawks on Feb. 24 and 25. The Bears squad showed their mantle with back-to-back wins to extend their win streak to five but was handed its first loss of the season on Sunday afternoon. 

Junior Brandon Buday pointed to work done in the offseason as a cause of their early-season success.

“During the offseason, we focused heavily on getting back to the expectations and standards of WashU baseball, both on the fundamental and mental side…” Buday said. “One thing that worked well in the off-season was player-led scrimmages, it was a great way to compete while also having fun playing baseball with your teammates.” 

That first game started at noon on Saturday, and Buday, the team’s leadoff hitter, got on base following a dropped third strike. 

“[Batting leadoff] allows for the opportunity to set the tone early and get off on the right foot,” the outfielder said after the game.

After Buday got on base, the Bears set the early tone, scoring six runs in the first inning. The inning saw the opposing pitcher allow three wild pitches and two walks. Hits by senior Harry Mauterer, junior Braden Mazone, and graduate student Evan Minarovic brought in the runners, leading to the early 6-0 lead for WashU off just three hits. 

The game would be decided handily from there as the Bears would never relinquish their lead en route to a 10-1 victory. The offensive explosion was highlighted by a two-run home run by sophomore Shane Pellegrino and a four-hit game from Mazone. 

Braden Mazone has started all six games as the Bears catcher. (Sam Powers | Student Life)

On the mound, junior Will Henkel led the way, allowing just one hit in seven shutout innings. In his two starts so far this season, Henkel has emerged as a star, throwing 11 strikeouts in 13 innings, while only allowing two hits.

The team would get the rest of the day off before continuing play the next day with another noon game. 

On Sunday, the team did not get off to a hot start. Though first-year Townsend Stevenson pitched well in his first college start — striking out seven and allowing just one earned run in three innings — the Bears were unable to take an early lead. The game was tied 2-2 in the fifth inning following a home run by the Kohawks. 

Dominant pitching from junior Hank Weiss and senior Clayton Miller in the final three innings saw them combine for seven strikeouts and zero earned runs, giving WashU the opportunity to take the lead. Buday took advantage of this opportunity, hitting a triple to give the team a 5-3 lead. An insurance sac fly by Pellegrino a play later built a 6-3 lead that would end up being the final score. 

WashU’s pitching staff, including Townsend Stevenson, has been key to the Bears strong start. (Jialing Sun | Student Life)

However, the team would falter in the second game of the series. The Kohawks came out big and scored five runs in the first two innings before WashU answered with a two-run home run by senior Zac Malis. This score was maintained until the fifth when Coe would extend their lead 8-2. Coe stayed ahead for the remainder of the game, eventually upsetting the Bears 14-7. The Bears tried to rally late in the ninth inning, loading the bases and scoring three runs on a single, hit by pitch, and sac fly, but their effort proved to be futile as the game would end on a groundout. 

The Bears came through to win the weekend, moving their record to 5-1 on the season. With a lot of season left to prove themselves after their strong start, the Bears will look to keep up their impressive play as they take on Illinois Wesleyan University next weekend at home. They will play the Titans at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 2, and wrap up the series at noon on Sunday.

“Looking to the future, I think we have the opportunity to do something really special,” Buday said.