Miles Quemuel-Labrador struck out seven in four innings pitched during an 11-4 loss. (Lydia Nicholson | Student Life)

Entering the weekend of April 12, the Washington University baseball team found themselves in a good position for the season. After winning five of their last six games, their record was a strong 19-9, and with a 3-1 conference record, they sat in second in the competitive University Athletic Association (UAA). Their opponent, division rival Emory University Eagles, lagged behind, and the Bears had an opportunity to pull away. 

For the Bears, however, the four-game stretch against the Eagles was a weekend to forget. WashU narrowly avoided getting swept with a tie in the third game, but lost all three others, losing by a run-differential of 48-18 across the four-game series. With the losses, the Bears fell to fourth place in the five-team UAA, with their golden opportunity faded away.

“We’re just trying to play baseball, you know,” graduate student Sam Polk said. “Just gotta do whatever it takes to win.”

The first game of the series was a stinker for WashU, as the Bears were mercy-ruled in eight innings in a 21-7 loss. There wasn’t much good to find in this game given the 14-run loss, but graduate student Evan Minarovic was a bright spot. He hit a grand slam while the game was still within reach to cut a five-run deficit to 5-4 in the third inning. The home run continued a strong first season at WashU for the third baseman, who transferred from Northwestern University this year, as he left the game with a .314 batting average with 10 extra-base hits, including four home runs. 

The grand slam was part of two comebacks the Bears would attempt to mount in the first game against Emory, but each time, WashU’s pitching faltered, preventing any serious rally. 

After bringing the score back to 5-4, the Bears fell down by six runs but stormed back to score three on a bases-loaded knock by senior second baseman Clayton Miller, bringing the score to 10-7. But that was the closest the game would remain, as Emory unleashed an onslaught of 11 runs in two innings, including a seven-run eighth that led to the game being called. WashU had to try to put the game behind them and look forward.

“You just gotta play one game at a time,” Polk said. “You go at it with a 0-0 mentality and look to win whatever game you’re playing in.”

Game two of the series wasn’t much better for the Bears. Despite falling 12-3, the contest was close until extra innings. In the top of the 10th inning, Emory scored nine runs to put the game out of reach. WashU was flummoxed by the Eagles’ pitching all day, with only one hit and a single run scored in the first eight innings, and that run came from a series of mishaps by the Emory defense. 

The ninth was a different story, though. Two singles, including a misplay in right field from Emory, gave WashU one last chance, and junior center fielder Brandon Buday took advantage, lining a single with two outs to tie the game. Buday has been a strong hitter all season, sporting a .311 average exiting the game. Despite his game-tying hit, the Bears could not take advantage in extra innings. The Eagles proved too much to handle for the Bears’ pitching staff, batting around in extras as WashU struggled to put a single hitter away. The Eagles scored nine runs in the frame and caused the Bears to drop a second straight contest. 

Just an hour later, game two of the doubleheader was underway. Again, the Bears showed fight, and despite facing a 4-0 deficit after Emory scored three runs in the fifth inning, the Bears found a way to tie the game in the ninth following an RBI knock from first-year right fielder Carson Cleage. However, even though the Bears had built up momentum after scoring four in a row to equalize the game, the contest was called a tie after it was deemed too dark to play.

WashU’s misfortune continued into Sunday, where the Bears were bested 11-4 on their Senior Day.

The series was a huge blow to WashU’s postseason hopes. Although there is plenty of the season left to play, the Bears fell from second to fourth in the UAA, now sitting below No. 22 Case Western Reserve University, New York University, and Emory, with an ugly 3-4-1 conference record. 

The good news is that the Bears have eight games remaining, all against conference opponents, including a four-game series with a struggling Brandeis team April 19-21. But WashU will have no room for error if they want to make up ground and finish at the top of the UAA. Their play will certainly have to be better than this weekend for any chance of that.