MHM

Sophomore Townsend Stevenson pitched the second singular no-hitter in WashU history on March 22. (courtesy of Micah Manuel)

There is nothing that signifies the coming of spring in St. Louis quite like Bears baseball on a sunny weekend at Kelly Field. WashU played Maryville College for the first time in program history on March 22-23, winning two out of three games in this non-conference matchup. Sophomore Townsend Stevenson made history by throwing the second singular no-hitter in program history in the Bears’ dominant 16-0 victory in the first game.

The Bears partnered with two nonprofit organizations and promoted them during the series, the first being The Hidden Opponent, an organization that advocates for the mental health of athletes, and the second being Buddy Up For Life, an organization that provides support for individuals with Down Syndrome.

With the two wins, the Bears improve to a 13-5 record before beginning University Athletic Association (UAA) play against Case Western Reserve University on Friday, March 28. 

Game One – WashU: 16, Maryville: 0

The first game of this series was all Bears. In the first inning, junior Shane Pellegrino got the scoring started with a single up the middle, scoring senior Brandon Buday. First-year Cooper Greene added on with an RBI single to left field on a hanging breaking ball. 

The Bears continued to add on, scoring at least one run in each inning before opening the floodgates in the fifth inning. WashU had nine hits in this inning alone, scoring ten runs and extending their lead from 6-0 to 16-0. This was the end of the scoring for the Bears, but the game was completely out of reach at this point. Notable offensive performers included Greene, who recorded four singles, and first-year Kevin Stephens, who had three hits, including two doubles.

Maryville’s offense was completely shut down by Stevenson. The 6’4’’ right hander threw a no-hitter, pitching all seven innings without allowing a hit. This was the second no-hitter by a singular pitcher in the Bears’ history, with Stevenson also recording the first win of his collegiate career in the process. He struck out twelve batters, with the only baserunners coming from two walks. 

An intimidating presence on the mound, Stevenson dominated Maryville primarily with the use of his fastball, a pitch that clocked out close to 90 mph throughout the game. He kept the hitters off balance with his slider and curveball, building on a strong start to the season with a career performance. 

Game Two – WashU: 1, Maryville: 7

In the second game on Saturday, Maryville bounced back, taking the lead in the first inning on a single from Frank Derner. WashU matched them in the bottom of the first, scoring one run on singles from first-year Ryan Soong, graduate student Noah Reichman, and graduate student Colter Couillard-Rodak. 

The game would remain scoreless until the sixth inning, with first-year pitcher Levi Gingerich allowing two runs over 5 ⅓ innings. After Gingerich left the game, Maryville notched two more runs in the sixth, extending their lead in the seventh and eighth innings as well. 

WashU mounted several attempts to score after the first inning, recording six hits and stranding three runners on base. Ultimately, they were unable to push any more runs across and finished Saturday with an even split despite outscoring Maryville 17-7 on the day. 

Game Three – WashU: 4, Maryville: 1

Following the loss, WashU came out strong on Sunday, taking the decisive third game of the series. WashU again fell behind in the first inning, with a fielding error and a single from Fred Derner causing the run. However, they responded in a big way in the bottom of the first, with Reichman blasting a two-run homer to right center field. The 6’3’’ slugger who played his undergraduate years at Colby College had himself a weekend, contributing four hits including two doubles and this home run. 

From there, the game remained 2-1 until the fifth inning, when the Bears extended their lead on a smash double to right field from Buday, scoring senior Braden Mazone. The Bears were unable to add on further, leaving sophomore Carson Cleage stranded on third base. 

The Bears threatened again in the sixth inning, loading up the bases with one out. In this crucial spot, graduate student Will Yarbro was called on to pinch-hit. He was hit by a pitch, forcing in a run to make the game’s final score 4-1.

Like the first game, the Bears were bolstered by a strong pitching performance. Senior Hank Weiss pitched the first seven innings, allowing just two hits and an unearned run while striking out nine. Another hard throwing righty, his fastball sat in the upper 80s and touched 91 mph. After throwing 99 pitches, he was relieved by junior Isaac Zhang, a left-handed pitcher who earned his first save of the season by retiring the final six batters with just 22 pitches. 

This series victory provides the Bears with strong momentum as they enter into conference play next weekend. They will be hosting the Spartans from Case Western Reserve University for four games at Kelly Field, a strong team that WashU has an all time 34-25 record against. Aside from one game against Webster University, the rest of the Bears’ games will be against crucial conference opponents.