Senior Hank Weiss pitches for the Bears in an early season game. (Eran Fann | Staff Photographer)

After dropping three out of four games to Case Western Reserve University in the first University Athletic Association (UAA) conference matchup, the Bears looked to improve their conference form at The University of Chicago to take on the Maroons in another four-game series from April 4-6. Coming into the series, the Bears had a strong 29-12 all-time record against the Maroons. However, the Bears lost three out of four games in Chicago, putting their overall record at 15-11 and their conference record at 2-6. They will look to bounce back in a crucial conference matchup on the road against New York University (NYU) next weekend, April 11-13.

Game One – WashU: 2, UChicago: 3

The first game of the series was a low-scoring affair, with senior Hank Weiss starting on the mound for the Bears. The game was scoreless until the third inning, when the Maroons jumped out to a 1-0 lead on three singles. But the Bears quickly responded the next inning when graduate student Noah Reichman knocked senior Brandon Buday in with a single, knotting up the game at 1-1. 

Weiss lasted 5 ⅓ innings on the mound, giving up one more run in the sixth inning before he was relieved by junior Miles Quemuel-Labrador. The Bears’ offense struggled to find their footing against the Maroons’ pitcher Drew Bryan, who let up one run in seven innings of work. 

Down 3-1 in the ninth inning, the Bears mounted a rally. Graduate student Josh Erpenbeck and senior Braden Mazone both singled, with senior Shane Pellegrino scoring Erpenbeck on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2. Ultimately, the tying run was left on second base, ending the game with a Bears loss.

Game Two – WashU: 3, UChicago: 5

The second game of this Friday doubleheader started much like the first, with Chicago gaining a 1-0 lead in the first inning and WashU tying it up in the second on an RBI single from Pellegrino. In the bottom of the second, the Maroons took advantage of a miscue from the Bears, as a throwing error with runners on second and third allowed two unearned runs to score. A single from Max Wiesner added another Maroons run in the inning.

First-year Levi Gingerich started the game on the mound for the Bears, lasting 1 ⅔ innings and giving up four runs, with the defensive error leading to only two of them being earned. He was replaced by sophomore Anderson Gomez, who pitched the remaining 6 ⅓ innings of the game and only gave up three hits and one more unearned run from another defensive error. 

Trailing 5-1 entering the sixth inning, the Bears added a run on an RBI single from junior Connor Lindsey, scoring sophomore Carson Cleage to make it a 5-2 game. The score remained the same until the ninth, when the Bears loaded up the bases with two outs in an attempt to make a comeback. Sophomore Anthony Equale dashed home on a wild pitch, making the score 5-3 and moving the tying run to second base. However, the rally was squashed with a groundout, ending the game at 5-3. 

Game Three – WashU: 9, UChicago: 2

After getting swept in the doubleheader on Friday, the Bears looked to salvage the series on Saturday. The game was scoreless through the first three innings, with the Bears breaking the game open in the top of the fourth. It began with a single from Pellegrino, followed by a bunt from Mazone that was misplayed by the Maroons’ third baseman. Now with runners on first and second, the Bears took advantage of the Maroons’ miscue in a big way. Sophomore Miles Birke brought in the first run of the game with a single, then Equale was hit by a pitch, forcing in the next run. With the bases loaded and two outs, Buday delivered the decisive blow. His grand slam brought the score to 6-0, putting the Bears in the driver’s seat. 

The Maroons’ offense was stifled by a strong pitching performance from junior Isaac Zhang, who tossed 7 ⅓ innings while letting up only three hits and two unearned runs. After 90 pitches, he was relieved by sophomore Owen Block, who retired the final five Maroons’ batters. 

The Bears added an insurance run in both the seventh and eighth innings, coming on a sacrifice fly from senior Justin Zachery and another single from Pellegrino. Three Bears recorded multiple hits in the game: Pellegrino, Buday, and Birke.

Game Four – WashU: 1, UChicago: 2

After picking up a win on Saturday, the Bears looked to earn a series split with sophomore Townsend Stevenson on the mound. The Maroons took a 1-0 lead on a wild pitch in the second inning and added a second run in the fourth on a fielder’s choice. The Bears were shut down by Maroons pitcher Russell Kwinter for 5 ⅓ innings, finally breaking through after he left the game. 

The scoring began for the Bears in the top of the sixth, when Buday reached first on an error and Reichman walked. Buday and Reichman then perfectly executed a double steal, moving up to second and third base, respectively. At the plate, first-year Cooper Greene took a wild pitch for ball four, allowing him to reach first and Buday to score. While the inning ended with both Greene and Reichman left on base, the Bears’ deficit was halved to 2-1. 

Senior pitcher Sebastian Guzman and sophomore pitcher Parker Guthrie were able to completely shut down the Maroons’ offense after Stevenson completed four innings, but the Bears were unable to break through again offensively. The Maroons’ pitcher John Butka earned the save for his team, closing out the ninth inning and ending the game in a 2-1 Bears loss. 

The Bears will look to improve their conference record this coming weekend as they travel to play four games against the NYU Violets from April 11-13. With twelve conference games remaining for the Bears, they are currently tied with Brandeis at the bottom of the standings. With conference play less than halfway through, the Bears still have a chance to turn it around.