Auburndale, Fla., March 13, 2018 – Freshmen Washington University in St. Louis pitchers Rees Viersen and Jared Fong combined to hold No. 10 Southern Maine to just a single run through nine innings of work but the Bears fell 5-1 in extra innings to the Huskies in Florida Tuesday morning.
The Bears record dropped to 6-5 while Southern Maine improved to 2-2. The loss was the first of the week by WashU to a top-25 ranked team, having previously defeated No. 11 Oswego and No. 21 Wheaton (Mass.).
The freshmen duo of Viersen and Fong combined to strikeout 14 batters, with sophomore Daniel Broadie adding a strikeout to the team's total in the 10th inning. The Bears pitching staff has now reached double figures in strikeouts in five games this season, including three straight.
WashU scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the first. Sophomore John Brinkman reached base on a fielder's choice before sophomore Thomas Gardner knocked him in with a single down the left field line.
Viersen totaled five innings pitched with 10 strikeouts, allowing three hits and one unearned run. Fong entered in the sixth inning with a runner on first after a fielding error preceded Viersen's exit. The Huskies capitalized on the leadoff error to tie the game at 1-1, but Fong kept the game even through the ninth inning.
Senior Auggie Mense led the bottom of the ninth off with a single up the middle and advanced to scoring position on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Collin Kahal. WashU was unable to get Mense past third base and entered the 10th inning, where the Huskies opened things up with four runs.
The Bears first two runners in the bottom of the 10th reached base but the Huskies' Jake Dexter pitched around two errors for his first win of the season.
WashU will play Salve Regina in its final game in Auburndale, Fla. on Wednesday, March 14 at 9:45 a.m. (ET) before returning home for a weekend series against Coe. Salve Regina fell out of D3baseball.com's most recent top-25 poll to the receiving votes section. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.