No. 18 WashU baseball opened the weekend of April 25-26 in dominant fashion, exploding with an 11-run inning in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader against Case Western Reserve University — their second-highest single-inning total all season.

Despite an assertive win in game two, the Bears’ offense fell apart on Sunday’s doubleheader, totalling just nine runs over 19 innings played and dropping both games by close margins.

WashU looked firmly in control early, erupting for 25 runs across Saturday’s doubleheader. The first game saw a short rain delay before picking things up in the top of the third, where WashU broke the game open with an 11-run inning. The dominant stretch saw the team drawing three hit-by-pitches and hitting five singles, with senior shortstop Shane Pellegrino putting an exclamation point on the inning with a grand slam over left field to notch the score at 11-0. 

Junior pitcher Townsend Stevenson maintained the flow at the mound and sealed the Bears’ win with just two runs given up in five innings pitched. The Bears came away with a 12-2 mercy-rule victory in seven innings.

WashU kept the offense rolling into Game 2. Although Case Western jumped ahead 3-1 in the first inning, the Bears quickly responded in the second with an RBI single from first-year second baseman Chance Cromer to cut the lead to one before erupting in the third to tie the game at 5-5. 

After another RBI single from Cromer gave WashU their first lead in the fourth, the Bears didn’t look back. Active bats from Pellegrino and junior third baseman Anthony Equale stretched the lead for the Bears to seven, while senior pitcher Isaac Zhang earned the win at the mound, recording eight strikeouts and just three earned runs in six innings pitched. Through strong play from all positions, the Bears cruised to a 13-6 win, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.

Despite WashU’s strong performances on Saturday, Case Western flipped the script on Sunday to split the series.

Sunday’s first game saw WashU continue their offensive momentum from the first half of the series and build multiple leads. Sophomore right fielder Ryan Soong opened the game with a leadoff double, and Equale tripled him home. Pellegrino and sophomore center fielder Kevin Stephens followed with more RBI knocks to take a quick lead. 

But Case Western managed to string together some run production of their own, closing the gap late. While first-year designated hitter Jacob Witte and sophomore first baseman Cooper Greene delivered clutch runs to keep Case Western at bay, the Spartans answered once again in the ninth to force extras, and completed the comeback in the 10th, edging out the Bears 6-5.

Game 2 followed a similar pattern, with WashU briefly leading after an RBI from Equale in the first inning. But once again, the Bears lost their grip on the lead, allowing a four-run third inning from the Spartans. 

The Bears kept battling and cutting into the deficit with RBI hits from Equale and senior first baseman Connor Lindsey. Lindsey had a great showing, going three-for-four at the plate, but the team never managed to fully close the gap. The Bears eventually fell 6-4 as Case Western held on to secure the split.

The Bears close out the regular season second in the UAA, with a 28-11 record. They now await their NCAA championship placement. Selections will be announced on May 11 at 12 p.m. ET.