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Sophomore Townsend Stevenson pitches during an early season game. (courtesy of Micah Manuel)

After losing three out of four games to their University Athletic Association (UAA) rivals The University of Chicago, the WashU baseball team needed to get back on track.

Entering their weekend series against New York University, the Bears had a 15-8 all-time record against the Violets. The Bears started out strong on Friday, April 11, winning both games and taking a commanding 2-0 series lead. However, they were unable to capitalize on this momentum, dropping both games on Sunday, April 13, settling for a series split.

Game One – WashU: 13, NYU: 6

The Bears put on an offensive clinic in the first game of this series, recording 15 hits and providing strong run support for senior pitcher Hank Weiss. The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, with a defensive error allowing first-year Ryan Soong to score, and graduate student Colter Couillard-Rodak driving in senior Brandon Buday on an RBI single. In the third inning, junior Shane Pellegrino extended the Bears’ lead to 3-0 with an infield single. The Violets cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the third, but the Bears immediately responded with another run in the fourth. 

Senior Hank Weiss earned the win on the mound, starting the game and limiting the Violets to three runs over 5 ⅓ innings. 10 of the 16 outs he recorded came from strikeouts, before he was relieved by junior Miles Quemuel-Labrador in the sixth inning. The score remained the same until the eighth inning, when the Bears’ offense erupted to put the game away.

The Bears scored six runs in the top of the eighth, with a defensive error by NYU opening up the opportunity for graduate student Will Yarbro to knock in two runs with a triple. Senior Braden Mazone added a double to score Yarbro, and Buday drove in Mazone on a single. Two more runs came via a walk and a wild pitch to make it 10-3. After a small rally from the Violets, the Bears’ offense countered with three more runs, and sophomore pitcher Parker Guthrie shut the door to end the game 13-6.

Game Two – WashU: 6, NYU: 4

In the second game on Friday, the Bears came out firing yet again. In the first inning, graduate student Noah Reichman plated Buday with an RBI single, followed by first-year Will Taigen hitting a ball that was misplayed by the Violets’ right fielder, allowing the Bears to open up a 3-0 lead. Yarbro scored on a passed ball in the fourth to make it 4-0, adding to the theme of the Bears capitalizing on the Violets’ defensive errors. 

The Bears’ starter, first-year Levi Gingerich, lasted four innings, allowing four hits and giving up one run. Sophomore Anderson Gomez threw three innings of one run ball, earning his third win of the season. The Bears and Violets traded runs back and forth through the next innings, making the Bears’ lead 6-2 by the bottom of the ninth. 

The Violets rallied in the bottom of the ninth, loading up the bases with one out. A fielder’s choice and a wild pitch allowed two runners to score, cutting the Bears’ lead to 6-4. The bases remained loaded with two outs, and with the tying run on second base, the Bears called on Guthrie to pitch for the second time that day. He delivered, striking out the last hitter to secure the sweep of the doubleheader. 

Game Three – WashU: 0, NYU: 3 (seven innings)

Following a day off on Saturday, the Bears came into this Sunday doubleheader looking to earn a series win. The Bears’ offense was stymied by the NYU pitching staff, with the Violets’ pitchers Paul Guerne and Aidan Dolinsky combining to shut the Bears out for only the second time this season. The Violets started off strong, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single. This score remained until the fifth inning, when the Violets added their third run on another RBI single 

Despite the loss, junior pitcher Isaac Zhang turned in a quality start, pitching the whole game and only allowing three runs on six hits. The Bears’ defense played cleanly behind him, committing no errors and preventing any big scoring outbursts. 

The Bears mounted unsuccessful rallies in the fifth and sixth innings, stranding a runner on third base in the fifth and runners on second and third in the sixth. Despite putting some pressure on the Violets, they were unable to deliver with runners on, and the game ended 3-0. 

Game Four – WashU: 2, NYU: 5 (seven innings)

After a disappointing performance in the first game, the Bears looked to recover in the second game and win the series. NYU took an early lead for the second straight game, scoring on a sacrifice fly in the second to make it 1-0. The Bears tied it up in the third, with Reichman scoring Buday on an RBI single.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Bears made three defensive errors, allowing NYU to take a 5-1 lead. This combined with three hits in the inning drove up the pitch count of senior pitcher Sebastian Guzman, who started the game and lasted four innings. Although he gave up five runs, only one of them was earned.

The score remained 5-1 until the seventh inning, when WashU was down to their last chance. They began a rally, loading up the bases with two outs, the tying run at home plate. Mazone singled to left field, scoring first-year pinch-runner Kevin Stephens and making it 5-2. The next batter grounded out with the bases loaded, ending the series in an even split for the Bears.

This series brought the Bears’ conference record to 4-8, five games away from first place with eight conference games remaining. The Bears will look to bounce back this week, with a non-conference matchup against Eureka College on Wednesday, April 16, and four home games from April 18-20 against Brandeis University, which is currently last place in the UAA.