Junior Maria Brooks pitches a career high 11 strikeouts in one game. (Angelina Pitt | Staff Photographer)

The No. 8 WashU softball team left no room for debate this weekend, dominating the New York University (NYU) Violets in a three-game sweep on April 3 and 4. The Bears only gave up two runs across the entire weekend while scoring 22 of their own. Friday’s doubleheader went well for the Bears, with back-to-back mercy rule shutouts in five innings. With these wins, the Bears improved to 19-3-1 on the season.

Game 1 – WashU 8, NYU 0

The Bears kicked off the scoring in the first inning, adding two runs via an RBI groundout from senior left fielder Sydney Schneider and a single from junior right fielder Kristina Donaldson. The team tacked on three more runs in the third as sophomore first baseman Harper Nix drove in one with a double and senior catcher Alexa Hanish hit a two-run single. 

Two innings later, Hanish hit another two-run single to extend the lead to 7-0. Later on in the fifth, the Bears sealed an early victory as Schneider picked up another RBI via a fielder’s choice. Hanish had a fantastic day at the plate, going 3-3 with 4 RBIs. Junior pitcher Maria Brooks dominated in the circle, throwing five scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts and only two hits to improve to a flawless 9-0 on the season. 

Game 2 – WashU 8, NYU 0

Two hours later, the Bears defeated the Violets in similarly dominant fashion. This time, the scoring started in the second inning when sophomore catcher Kennedy Rushing drove in two with a single to left. Rushing soon reached home when Schneider benefited from an error by NYU’s catcher to reach first after striking out. First-year second baseman Austen Kinney knocked in one more run to end a five-run inning for the Bears.

The last three runs to reach the mercy rule came in the fourth. Junior second baseman Elena Locascio hit a sacrifice fly to center field, and junior center fielder Julia Nicholus clinched the victory with a two-run double. Junior pitcher Hattie Bond wrapped up the top of the fifth inning to win game two for the Bears, tallying six strikeouts over five innings for her fourth win of the season. 

Game 3 – WashU 6, NYU 2

The Violets’ offense came alive for the first time during the weekend game on Saturday, but it did not prevent the Bears from still comfortably winning 6-2 to earn the series sweep. In the second inning, Nicholus drove in Nix with an RBI groundout to put WashU on the board. However, the Violets responded immediately in the top of the third inning with an RBI groundout of their own to tie the game.

The game remained very close as the teams reached the top of the sixth inning tied 2-2. However, WashU’s offense heated up in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs. 

Hanish got the rally started by driving in a run with a perfectly-placed sacrifice bunt. Junior third baseman Kennedy Grippo kept the rally going with an RBI single to right field, followed by an RBI groundout from first-year shortstop Katie Dolin. First-year outfielder Julia Sullo drove in the fourth run with another bunt, giving the Bears the 6-2 lead that would remain for the rest of the game.

Brooks earned another win in the circle as she pitched six of seven innings with nine strikeouts and gave up two earned runs, tallying her tenth win of the season. 

The Bears extended their winning streak to six, and also now sit in first in the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with a 7-2 conference record. Coming off back-to-back series sweeps against NYU and the University of Chicago, the team seems to have righted the ship after a series loss against Case Western Reserve University nearly three weeks ago. They have a prime opportunity to continue their momentum against Brandeis University on the road on April 17-18, who sit in the middle of the pack in the UAA.