Sanford, Fla., March 13, 2013 – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team exploded for a season-high 13 runs on a season-high 16 hits as the Bears earned a 13-5 win over Brandeis University Wednesday morning at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship Tournament.
Washington U. got on the board in the top of the first when junior Kyle Billig drew a two-out walk, and scored when sophomore Chris Lowery reached on an error by the left fielder. Holding a 1-0 lead after three innings, the Bears sent 11 batters to the plate in the top of the fourth, scoring six runs on four hits to open up a 7-0 lead. Senior Alan Komorowski drew a one-out walk and senior David Madson was hit by a pitch. After executing a double steal, junior Dylan Reid delivered an RBI single to left field to score Komorowski. Sophomore Andrew Goldstick drew a walk to load the bases, and freshman Max Golembo and Billig followed with back-to-back RBI singles to extend the lead to 4-0. After a sacrifice fly to Lowery made it 5-0, sophomore Zack Kessinger hit a two-RBI single to left field to give the Bears a 7-0 lead.
Golembo recorded his second RBI of the game in the top of the fifth to make the score 8-0. In the top of the sixth, Madson hit a two-out RBI single, and sophomore Ryan Slawin followed with a pinch-hit RBI single to increase the lead to 10-0. Brandeis took advantage of a pair of Washington U. errors in the bottom of the sixth, scoring five runs, including two unearned, to cut the lead to 10-5.
The Bears added two runs in the top of the eighth. Sophomore Noah Doppelt hit a two-out single and stole second before scoring on a single up the middle by Goldstick. Goldstick stole second and advanced to third on an error by the Judges, before Golembo drew a walk. When Golembo got caught in a rundown attempting to steal second, Goldstick ran home to extend the lead to 12-5. Washington U. added an unearned run in the top of the ninth.
Senior Matt Tracy (1-2) earned the complete-game win for Washington U., recording one strikeout while issuing just one walk. He took a four-hit shutout into the sixth inning, before surrendering five runs on four hits and two errors in the bottom of the sixth. Tracy retired eight of the next nine batters he faced, before the Judges got two runners on with two outs in the bottom of the ninth on an error and a single. Tracy got Dominic Schwartz out on a foul to Madson to end the game.
Washington U. recorded 13 hits to the Judges' nine, and the Bears also drew eight walks in the game. Eleven of 13 players who batted for Washington U. reached base, with 10 of them recording hits. Six Washington U. players recorded two hits each. Billig was 2-for-5 with an RBI and three runs scored, while Golembo (2-for-5, two RBIs, run) and Kessinger (1-for-4, two RBIs, run) each recorded two RBIs. The Bears also had a season-high eight stolen bases, including three by Goldstick.
Washington U. improved to 7-4 overall and 3-1 in the UAA Championship Tournament with the win, and is scheduled to play a doubleheader Thursday. The Bears take on Emory University at 11 a.m. (ET), followed by a game against the University of Rochester at 2 p.m. (ET). Washington U. earned a 6-2 win over Emory Monday, and is tied with Case Western Reserve University atop the UAA standings. Case takes on Rochester at 5 p.m. (ET) Wednesday.
Bear Notebook: Washington U. is 11-5 against Brandeis in the last 10 seasons, and has won the last five meetings … The Bears earned a 5-4 win over the Judges Sunday … The Bears went 8-for-19 with runners in scoring position, and were 5-for-7 when they had a runner on third with less than two outs … Washington U. had five two-out RBIs in the game … Kessinger increased his hitting streak to six games … It was Tracy's second complete-game of his career … Billig's three runs scored brought his career total to 117, which is six shy of 10th on Washington U.'s all-time career list.