St. Louis, Mo., April 19, 2019 – The No. 16-ranked Washington University in St. Louis baseball team earned an 8-1 win over Emory University and leapfrogged the Eagles in University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with the victory at Kelly Field Friday evening.
The Bears improved to 23-5-1 overall with a UAA leading 9-2 mark. With the loss Emory dropped to 19-13 overall including a 7-2 record in UAA play. WashU totaled 13 hits compared to the Eagles five hits the Bears held the UAA's top scoring offense Emory to one run.
Senior pitcher John Howard earned his eighth-straight victory of the season in his ninth appearance on the mound. He held Emory scoreless through seven frames, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out five batters.
Freshman Jackson Gray led the Bears with three hits which included an inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning. He and junior first baseman John Brinkman tied for the team lead with three runs batted in.
The Bears moved quickly to take a lead in the bottom of the first inning. After freshman shortstop Caleb Durbin reached on an infield single he advanced to second a stolen base and to third on a wild pitch before tallying the first score on a passed ball. Gray cashed in freshman designated hitter Brendan Hall from third base with a single to right field to give the Bears to 2-0 edge.
WashU added two more scores in the bottom of the second. Brinkman knocked in freshman left fielder with a grounder to second base before Hall plated Durbin on a single up the middle.
Brinkman plated two additional runs in the third inning singling up the middle with the bases loaded and two outs. Gray tacked on another run in the fourth inning when he drove a pitch to deep right field. The Eagles right fielder made a diving attempt at the warning track but the ball eluded him and Gray raced around the bases for an inside the park homer.
Freshman Matt Lopes entered the game in the eighth inning and worked around three straight Eagles reaching the base to allow just one run. He struck out the final batter to eliminate Emory's final scoring chance.
Gray knocked in the final run of the game in the bottom half of the eighth. He singled up the middle which allowed pinch runner Henry Singer to score and give WashU an 8-1 advantage.
The Bears and Eagles will face off in a doubleheader Saturday, April 20 beginning at 12 p.m. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Bears scores and awards by following @WashUBears on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.