Junior Brooke Caparelli takes a swing during the conference matchup against Case. (Lydia Nicholson | Student Life)

On April 2, 2023, the Washington University softball team was at a low point. The Bears had just been swept by the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Spartans, who at the time were ranked eighth in the country. The sweep brought WashU’s losing streak to five straight, and their season record fell to 9-13. The Bears seemed outmatched throughout the entire series, outscored 19-7 across the four games. 

One year later, however, the team was determined to write a different story. This time around, the Bears would host CWRU, now No. 6 in the country and unbeaten in University Athletic Association (UAA) play, with the top spot in the UAA on the line. As the Bears prepared for the April 12 series opener, their anticipation was no secret.

“The Case weekend is definitely the series we always have circled on our calendar. They’re definitely our biggest in-conference rivals,” junior center fielder Maggie Baumstark said after the series. “We were coming back this year with a big chip on our shoulder, a little bit of vengeance.”

With that motivation behind them, WashU was able to secure the series victory, winning three out of four games. With the result, the Bears, who are unranked in the national Top 25, sit at 20-8 on the year and 9-3 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play, now tied for first with CWRU.

“The only difference between us and them is a number in front of their name and a good year last year,” head coach Casey Cromwell said after the series.

The Bears were all smiles during a big series win. (Lydia Nicholson | Student Life)

WashU was able to win the final three games of the series after dropping the opener on Friday. In the 3-1 loss, the Bears were shut down offensively until the seventh inning, with Baumstark’s two-out RBI double preventing a shutout. Though junior pitcher Jordan Rossi allowed just three runs in a complete game on the mound, the Bears could not manage much offense, logging just four hits, and Rossi was tagged with her first loss of the season.

The Bears responded on Saturday by sweeping the doubleheader, winning the first game 5-2, then shutting out the Spartans 3-0.

In the first game, CWRU struck early, getting out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. However, the Bears were able to put together a five-run fifth inning to earn the comeback victory. WashU’s lack of solid contact was no problem in the inning, as the lineup relied on bunt singles and sacrifice plays to advance baserunners.

“You don’t have to be a hero. You don’t need to be hitting doubles, home runs at every bat,” Baumstark, who began the inning with a bunt single, said. “[If] you get yourself on base and you make them make plays, something good is going to happen.”

That mentality seemed to be on display as the Bears scored their fifth run of the inning. After junior Olivia Craycraft hit an infield single to move first-year Kennedy Grippo to third base, Grippo stole home during the next at-bat, stretching WashU to 5-2.

The Bears were helped all weekend by strong pitching, including a complete game in the first Saturday win by junior Jamie Burgasser.

In Saturday’s second game, the Bears found more success in the pitching circle as first-year Maria Brooks pitched her third complete-game shutout of the season. Two RBI singles from junior Natalia Pilpil and an RBI triple from sophomore Sydney Schneider were enough to secure the 3-0 win for the Bears.

In the series finale on Sunday, WashU sent Brooks back onto the mound to start the game. Cromwell said that other pitchers were available to enter in relief if needed, but there was ultimately no need for the bullpen as Brooks worked another complete game, leading the Bears to a 3-1 win.

On the offensive side Sunday, junior shortstop Taylor Geluck got the Bears on the scoreboard first, driving in two runs with a double in the third inning. Baumstark added an RBI single in the fourth inning to increase the Bears’ lead to three. Baumstark also made a big contribution on defense in the game, robbing a CWRU hitter of extra bases in the fourth inning. With two outs and a runner on second, it seemed like the Spartans would score their first run after their hitter lined a ball into the right-center field gap. However, Baumstark laid out to make a spectacular diving play.

“It was awesome. Off the bat, I was just thinking, ‘This ball is not dropping,’” Baumstark said. “That was one of the coolest catches I’ve made at WashU.”

After the catch, the Bears held on to close out the win and take the series. Baumstark finished the weekend 4-8 with two RBI, and Brooks improved her season record to 8-1.

The Bears now have only 10 games left to play this season, the next four coming in Pittsburgh as the team will travel to face Carnegie Mellon University from April 19-21. Even after facing their toughest opponent this season, the Bears are not looking to take their foot off the gas.

“We know we’re good. We just need to continue to prove how good we are,” Cromwell said. “You take three from Case, now everybody in the UAA is going to be like, ‘Oh, now I want to beat WashU.’ So every game from here on out is going to be mentally taxing, and we’re going to have to be on our A-game every single day.”