First-year catcher Jacob Witte rounds first base. (Max Silberg | Staff Photographer)

Warm weather and blossoming flowers mean spring is here, and so is University Athletic Association (UAA) conference play. This weekend, the No. 10 WashU baseball team was coming off a six-game winning streak when they faced the University of Chicago. They ended up splitting an exciting four-game series that included a WashU walk-off win. The Bears lost the first two games of the series, 4-8 and 1-3, yet bounced back, defeating UChicago 12-2 and 11-10. 

The losses are uncharacteristic for this year’s WashU team, as they have an 18-5 record. The Bears’ young core is averaging almost nine runs per game. Sophomore infielder Ryan Soong, senior infielder Shane Pellegrino, and first-years catcher Jacob Witte and infielder Chance Cromer are all batting over .300. On the mound, WashU is led by graduate pitcher Chase Brickley, who is 6-1 this season with an 1.88 ERA.

Game 1 – UChicago 8, WashU 4

The Bears started their series against UChicago on Friday March 27 where they struck first. With runners on first and third, Witte got caught stealing second base, granting Cromer room to run to home, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Maroons quickly responded with a home run to right field, tying the game 1-1 in the second inning.

UChicago continued their momentum in the third inning by capitalizing off a series of errors. Junior pitcher Townsend Stevenson threw a wild pitch, allowing a Maroon player to advance to third and eventually home plate to give UChicago a 2-1 lead. A failed pickoff followed, allowing the Maroons to score once again, giving them a 3-1 lead. 

At the top of the fifth inning, UChicago tripled to center field due to first-year outfielder Eli Sitzer getting blinded by the sun as he was searching for the ball. With a double to center field following, UChicago widened the gap to a 4-1 lead.

The Bears were able to find the scoreboard again at the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior infielder Anthony Equale singled to right field. Witte then made a powerful hit down right field, driving in Equale, making the game 4-2.

In the seventh inning, there were more throwing errors and wild pitches by the Bears pitching team, allowing the Maroons to tally up another three runs, extending the lead to 7-2.

The Bears were able to slightly tighten the gap to 7-4 in the seventh and eighth innings with Pellegrino scoring off a triple play and Soong scoring off of Equale’s attempt to steal second base. 

WashU couldn’t find an offensive spark to overcome their deficit, finishing the first game of the series with a 4-8 loss.

Game 2 – UChicago 3, WashU 1

The Maroons got on the board in the top of the first inning during the first game of Saturday’s double header, going up 1-0 after a runner scored on a fielder’s choice. UChicago continued to add to their lead with a homer down the line of left field.

The Maroons struck again in the sixth inning when a runner on third took advantage of WashU’s third baseman’s fielding error, giving the Maroons a 3-0 lead.

The Bears had their first, and only, response to UChicago at the bottom of the sixth inning, when sophomore infielder Cooper Greene scored off a double from sophomore utility player Tyler Phillips, making the score 3-1.

For the rest of the game the Bears struggled to find an opening against UChicago’s dominant defense. The game ended with another win for the Maroons, 3-1, giving Brickley his first loss on the season.

Game 3 – WashU 12, UChicago 2

The second game of the doubleheader started out as most in the series did: with UChicago taking an early advantage. A series of singles knocked in a run, and a double steal gave the Maroons a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning.

An inning later, Greene walked with the bases loaded to drive in the Bears’ first run of the game. Witte hit a two-run single, and a Chicago error caused another run to score. For the first time in this series, WashU had a lead. Cromer, Soong, and Greene all tallied an RBI in the bottom of the fourth inning, extending the advantage to 7-2. The offense continued to excel for the rest of the game, while senior pitcher Isaac Zhang pitched seven complete innings while only letting up two runs on seven hits.

In the bottom of the eighth, Soong sealed the victory with a two-run inside-the-park home run. With the scoreboard showing 12-2, the game ended after just eight innings due to a 10-run mercy rule.

Game 4 – WashU 11, UChicago 10

In the final matchup on March 29, UChicago started quickly, scoring three runs. Answering, Soong homered once again. An inning later, Cromer and Soong hit back-to-back doubles, flipping the lead in the Bears’ favor, 3-2. The Maroons responded with four unanswered runs. 

WashU’s offense came back in the bottom of the fifth. A series of doubles and triples from Witte, sophomore outfielder Kevin Stephens, and Pellegrino allowed the Bears to retake a 8-7 lead. 

A three-run home run from UChicago put WashU in a 10-8 deficit going into the final few innings. It wouldn’t take long for the Bears to tie it, when junior centerfielder Miles Birke scored off of Soong’s third hit. Soon after, Cromer came across the plate on a wild pitch. With nine innings played, the scoreboard was tied at 10-10. First-year pitcher Dylan Belyea came in during the eighth inning pitching 3.2 hitless innings to earn his first career win. Pellegrino came in clutch, hitting a walk-off single after 11 innings of play.

Soong looks to continue where he left off with his outstanding performance at the plate while the rest of the squad hopes to build up a win streak. WashU will have another four game series at home against a struggling New York University. There will be games April 3-5 with a double header on Saturday.