Waltham, Mass., April 6, 2019 – The No. 18-ranked Washington University in St. Louis baseball team picked up a come from behind 4-3 extra-inning win over Brandeis University before securing a 10-4 victory in the doubleheader's nightcap during University Athletic Association (UAA) play Saturday at Stein Diamond.
WashU improved to 19-3-1 overall after the doubleheader and moved to 5-0 in UAA play. The Judges fell to 9-12 and 0-7 in UAA play. WashU totaled 20 hits during the doubleheader.
Game 1: WashU 4 – Brandeis 3 (10 innings)
The Bears game one win was made possible by a game-tying ninth inning run as WashU did not record a hit while knotting the game up at 3-3. Senior second baseman Evan Nagel earned a walk before freshman shortstop Caleb Durbin was hit by a pitch. Sophomore left fielder Henry Singer advanced both runners with a sacrifice bunt for the first out. Moments later junior first baseman John Brinkman hit a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Nagel to score the equalizer.
Nagel provided the game-winning RBI on a base hit to center field in the top of the 10th inning after freshman Tim Van Kirk walked and stole a base to get in scoring position.
Freshman Matt Lopes earned the win by holding the Judges to one hit in three innings of relief while striking out four batters. He entered after a quality start by sophomore Ryan Loutos. Loutos pitched six innings, allowing four hits, three runs (two earned) and three walks in addition to eight strikeouts. Brinkman picked up the save by tossing a three-up and three-down bottom of the 10th which included two strikeouts.
Freshman designated hitter Brendan Hall led the Bears offense with three hits in three at-bats. Nagel and Brinkman also collected a pair of hits in four attempts. Hall and junior catcher Thomas Gardner knocked in a single run apiece.
Game 2: WashU 10 – Brandies 4
Brinkman cashed in Durbin with a sacrifice fly to put the Bears ahead 1-0 in the first inning after Durbin singled and stole two bases to advance to third base, but the Judges retaliated with a run in the bottom of the first and second to take a 2-1 advantage.
WashU regained the lead in the third inning after junior center fielder John Ostrander and Durbin scored runs in the frame. Brinkman cashed in Durbin once again with a sacrifice fly which put the Bears ahead 3-2.
Freshman catcher Zac Styka sparked a couple of runs in the fourth and fifth. He scored in the fifth inning on a bunt single by sophomore third baseman Collin Kahal before hitting WashU's third home run of the year in the fifth inning. The homer was a two-run shot and increased the Red & Green's advantage to 6-2.
The Bears capitalized on a pair of errors in the sixth inning for two more runs and an 8-2 lead. The Judges scored a run in the sixth and seventh before the Bears tallied back to a six-run advantage with runs of their own in the eighth and ninth. Durbin had a run scoring single in the eighth before Styka's RBI groundout in the ninth.
Sophomore pitcher Jared Fong earned the first win of his collegiate career. He struck out four batters in 2.1 innings pitched allowing one run and two hits. Sophomore pitcher Jack Besser closed out the game also pitching 2.1 innings and striking out four but without allowing a run.
WashU will close out its series with Brandeis Sunday, April 7 in Waltham, Mass. at 9 a.m. (ET). Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.