After Central College snapped an eight-game winning streak for the Washington University baseball team on Saturday, sophomore Stephen Bonser propelled the team back into the winning column with the strongest outing of the year by a Wash. U. pitcher.

Bonser tossed a complete-game shutout in game two of the team’s doubleheader against the Dutch, allowing just seven hits in seven innings pitched while striking out four without allowing a walk. Bonser also induced 14 ground ball outs to improve to 4-0 on the season and lower his ERA to 2.76.

“Bonser was fantastic, and for the most part this year, he’s done that. He’s gone deep into games, he’s given our bullpen a chance to rest, and he’s baffled opposing hitters for most of the year,” head coach Steve Duncan said. “I look for him to continue that towards the end of the season. He and Adam Merzel pitched extremely well and kind of put us on their back in terms of getting us to a victory.”

Bonser was helped by seniors Matt Bayer and Joe Noon, who each picked up two hits in the game. Noon hit a two-run homerun and also contributed an RBI double and a sacrifice fly in the 7-0 victory.

Wash. U. also received a strong pitching performance from Merzel, a senior, to take game one of Sunday’s doubleheader at Coe College 8-3. Merzel pitched 6.1 innings, while giving up eight hits but just three runs to improve to 3-2 on the year. He struck out five but walked four and threw three wild pitches.

The second through sixth hitters for the Bears all recorded two hits and scored at least one run. Junior Brandon Rogalski knocked in two runs, Bayer drove in two and Noon drove in two on two groundouts.

“They [the offense] were as good [as] they have been at any point this year. We would have had far more hits had the wind not been blowing at around 30 miles per hour straight in from left field,” Duncan said. “The only thing a hitter can control is what kind of an at-bat he has and how hard he hits the ball, and I was very pleased with how we hit the ball on Sunday, even in the game we lost.”

The Bears fell 8-3 to the Kohawks in the second game on Sunday. After senior David Liebman surrendered two unearned runs in 2.1 innings pitched, the bullpen allowed five more runners to cross the plate in 3.2 innings pitched.

Freshman Kyle Billig scored all three runs for the Bears, going three for four out of the leadoff spot, but the Kohawks never allowed the Bears to score more than one run in an inning.

Wash. U. opened the weekend with a 7-2 loss against Central College. Sophomore Taylor Berman suffered his first loss of the year, surrendering seven runs on six hits and five walks over four innings.

The Bears (21-13) are looking to make a final push for an NCAA tournament bid in their final 12 games. The team is vying for an at-large selection to the tournament along with other Pool B teams. Teams in Pool B do not play in athletic conferences with guaranteed tournament bids.

Duncan said that the improved defense needs to continue to develop and that the team’s pitching needs to be a little more consistent to close the season.

“We have work left to do, we have a number of good teams left on the schedule, that if we take care of business the rest of the way, I think we’ll be in excellent shape for the postseason,” Duncan said. “We’ve played one of the more difficult schedules in the country, so we’re optimistic that will be taken into account when it’s time to judge who the most worthy team is.”