GRINNELL BOX | ST. NORBERT BOX
St. Louis, Mo., March 30, 2013 – After falling to Grinnell College in the first game of the day, the Washington University in St. Louis baseball team held on for a win over St. Norbert College to end the day Saturday at Kelly Field. Grinnell took advantage of five Washington U. errors to score eight unearned runs in a 16-3 win in eight innings. The Bears bounced back with a 3-2 win over St. Norbert in a game called in the fifth inning due to rain.
Washington U. (14-8) returns to action with a doubleheader at DePauw University Thursday, April 4. The first of two seven-inning games is scheduled to get underway at Noon (ET) in Greencastle, Ind. The Bears return home for a doubleheader against No. 18 Webster University beginning at Noon Saturday, April 6.
Grinnell 16, Washington U. 3 – 8 innings
After scoring an unearned run in the first inning, Grinnell roughed up senior Matt Tracy for four runs on seven hits in the top of the second inning to take a 5-0 lead. Sophomore Brian Cizek led off the bottom of the second with a single up the middle, and freshman Kyle Kozak singled down the third-base line to put runners on second and third. Senior Matthew Polites drew a one-out walk to load the bases. After a pop out, junior Kyle Billig reached on an error that scored Cizek and Kozak to bring the Bears to within 5-2.
Tracy settled down after the second inning, limiting the Pioneers to two hits over the next three innings. Grinnell capitalized on two errors by the Bears in the top of the fifth to add a run, before breaking the game open with two runs in the sixth, one in the seventh, and seven runs on six hits and an error in the eighth to make it 16-2. In the bottom of the eighth, junior Andrew Dwoskin drew a leadoff walk, before coming around to score on a one-out single by senior Alan Komorowski to make the final score 16-3.
Tracy (2-3) took the loss for Washington U., allowing six runs, two unearned, on 10 hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Senior Max Gordon allowed three runs, two earned, on one hit and seven walks in 1 2/3 innings of relief, while junior Matt Kenahan surrendered seven runs, just two earned, on six hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings.
Washington U. 3, St. Norbert 2 – 5 innings
After getting through a scoreless first inning, rain started falling steadily in the second inning. St. Norbert struck first, turning a one-out walk into a 1-0 lead after back-to-back singles. In the bottom of the inning, Komorowski drove a pitch from St. Norbert starter Travis Mason over the left-field wall for an opposite-field solo homerun to lead off the inning and tie the game. The Bears got the bases loaded with two outs later in the inning. Senior David Madson singled up the middle, ahead of a walk by Billig and a single to left field by sophomore Andrew Goldstick, but a fielder's choice ended the inning for the Bears.
In the bottom of the third inning, Washington U. scored two unearned runs with two outs to take the lead. Cizek drew on a one-out walk, and Kozak reached on an error that put runners on second and third for Washingotn U. Madson then hit a two-RBI single through the left side to put the Bears ahead 3-1. The Green Knights got one run back in the top of the fourth on an RBI single to shallow center field, but Billig made a pinpoint throw to Madson who tagged Alex Larsen at the plate on the play to preserve the Bears' 3-2 lead. St. Norbert got two runners aboard in the top of the fifth, but sophomore Dom Quaranta got a fly out and a called strikeout to end the inning.
Cizek led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to left field. After a strikeout by Komorowski, the umpires put the game in a rain delay to attempt to repair the wet field conditions. The game was called after about a 15-minute delay as rain continued to fall, giving the Bears the win.
Quaranta earned the complete-game win, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out four in five innings. Madson went 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs to lead the Bears offensively. Sophomore Chris Lowery (2-for-3) also had two hits for Washington U. in the game.
Bear Notebook: Goldstick has reached base in 15-straight games, and has a seven-game hitting streak for the Bears … With two hits in the St. Norbert game, Lowery recorded his 13th multiple-hit game of the season.