Shane Pelligrino was instrumental in baseball’s comeback win on Sunday (Ella Giere | Student Life)

It was quite an impressive weekend for the Washington University Bears. Baseball secured an emphatic sweep of Brandeis University, keeping their conference title hopes alive. Softball outmatched Carnegie Mellon University, while women’s tennis only dropped a single set in two matchups. Finally, golf and track and field took first-place finishes at competitions against regional opponents.

Softball

The WashU softball team pulled off a dominant performance, taking three of four from Carnegie Mellon to secure their third consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) series win. After blowing a save opportunity by allowing three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday, the Bears rallied back to win three straight. The team was led by sophomore Sydney Schneider, who put up video game numbers — five hits, four walks, six runs, and six stolen bases, raising her batting average to a team-high .455. The Bears also tied the UAA single-game record for home runs in a 9-6 win on Sunday, belting six bombs. The Bears are now 23-9 and 12-4 in conference play, one game behind Case Western Reserve University for the UAA lead.

Baseball

Over the weekend, baseball secured a much-needed sweep over UAA bottom dwellers Brandeis. Heading into their final series of the season, WashU now has a 23-12-1 record (7-4-1 in the UAA). The first three games were never close, with the Bears winning by a combined score of 24-5. However, after a six-run sixth inning for Brandeis on Sunday, it appeared that the Judges would steal the final game of the series until the Bears brought home six in the ninth off of RBI hits from sophomore Shane Pellegrino, senior Clayton Miller, and junior Brandon Buday to win 9-6. The Bears will face off against No. 17 Case Western Reserve University next weekend — a sweep would give them their first UAA conference championship since 2019.

Women’s Tennis

The No. 6 WashU women’s tennis team secured two impressive sweeps this weekend, defeating No. 23 Grinnell 9-0 and No. 48 University of Wisconsin–Whitewater 9-0. In their final match before next weekend’s UAA Championships, the Bears dominated, dropping just one set all weekend. First singles sophomore Nina Moravek impressed as she has all season, winning 6-1, 6-0 on Saturday and 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday. Sophomore Amber Edmonds also had a strong weekend, winning  6-1, 6-2 in third singles on Saturday, and  6-4, 6-0 in second singles on Sunday.

Women’s Golf

The No. 10 Bears won first place in Millikin University’s Take Back the Night Challenge. The squad’s two-day score of 602 was the best of the eight participating teams. Led by first-year Amy Beanblossom (147, second overall), sophomore Athena Nguyen (149, third overall) and sophomore Tiffany Chan and first-year Reagan Robinson (who both scored 155, tied fourth overall), the Bears had a dominant weekend. The team is off for a month as they prepare for the NCAA Championships, which begin on May 21.

Men’s Track and Field

Men’s track and field secured first place in the two-day Augustana Meet of Champions. Their score of 127 points topped the 24-team field. The Bears won three individual events: senior Will Houser in the 1,500-meter race with a season-best time of 3:55.63, senior Jack Maranz in the 5000-meter with a personal best of 14:58.57, and first-year Peter Lichtenberger in the pole vault with a personal best clearance of the 5.10m bar. The Bears will travel to Pittsburgh, PA to participate in the UAA outdoor championships next weekend.

Women’s Track and Field

The No. 1 women’s track and field team won seven events in the Augustana Meet of Champions en route to a dominant first-place finish. Their 196.5 points were a far cry from the second-place team (Lewis University, 113 points). Seniors Emma Kelley and Ally Sarussi won the 800- and 1500-meter fields respectively, while juniors Lauren Gay and Ruby Kaplan secured victories in the 100- and 400-meter hurdles. Junior Yasmin Ruff took first place in the pole vault, while the Bears also won the 4×100 and 4×400 relays. Next up for the Bears: the UAA outdoor championships at Carnegie Mellon University. After winning the indoor competition in late February, the top-ranked team in the country will look to take home another conference crown.