Clarksville, Ark. – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team opened the 2023 season with a pair of wins over the University of the Ozarks.
Game 1: WashU 10, Ozarks 1
Ozarks got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. Ethan Cash drew a one-out walk before advancing two bases on balks. Jackson Baker drove Cash in with a sac fly to right field to make it a 1-0 game.
The Bears responded with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning.
Clayton Miller started off reaching base on a shortstop error and moved into scoring position on a
Braden Mazone single to short.
Dax Braemer also singled to short and Mazone moved up to second, but Miller was at third with the force.
Broghan O'Connor singled as well and Braemer advanced to second, but Mazone was out at third with the force.
Zac Malis loaded the bases with a single and
Shane Pellegrino registered his first-career RBI with a single to left field, driving in Braemer to tie things up 1-1. O'Connor scored the second run of the inning on a wild pitch.
WashU added two more runs on five hits in the top of the six inning, starting with a single from Braemer. O'Connor doubled to left, putting Braemer in scoring position on third and Braemer scored on a Malis single to short. Pellegrino notched his second-career RBI with a single to second, bringing in O'Connor to make it a 4-1 game.
The top of the seventh was a big one for the Bears, as they put four more runs on the board to go up 8-1.
With a new pitcher on the mound for the Eagles,
Magnus Dunn hit a lead-off single to center. Miller singled to the pitcher, but Dunn was forced out at second. Miller moved up to second and headed to third on a Mazone single to center. Braemer drilled a double to center, scoring Miller to go up 5-1.
O'Connor recorded a two-run double to center, bringing in Miller and Mazone. Malis then brough O'Connor in with a double to left field.
The Bears put up their final two runs in the top of the eighth, against a new pitcher again.
Brandon Buday started things off with a single to center and moved forward to third to put himself in scoring position. With two outs, Mazone drilled a two-run homer to right field, making it a 10-1 game.
Malis went 4-for-4 with two RBI and Pellegrino finished 3-for-3 with two RBI. Braemer finished 3-for-5 with one RBI and three runs scored while Mazone went 3-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.
Matt Lopes picked up the win on the mound, going six innings with five strikeouts, three hits, one run and two walks.
Hank Weiss came on to pitch two innings of relief with three strikeouts.
Game 2: WashU 8, Ozarks 4
The Bears wasted no time getting on the board in game two, scoring a run in the top of the first inning.
Pellegrino singled to right field and advanced to second, then moved up to third on a Miller single to short and then scored to make it a 1-0 game.
WashU put another run on the board in the top of the second as Braemer drilled a homer to left field.
In the top of the fourth, Braemer reached first on a shortstop error. With two outs,
Justin Zachery doubled to center, bringing in Braemer for a 3-1 lead.
Ozarks cut the Bears' lead to just one run in the bottom of the fourth, putting two runs up.
Taber Childs hit a lead-off double to left and scored on a Baker single to left. Baker moved up on a wild pitch and scored on a Jake Dempsey sac fly to left field.
The Eagles went on to tie things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning.
With two outs, Dru Didway reached base on an error and then advanced to second on an error and third on a wild pitch. Cash singled to right field, scoring Didway.
In the bottom of the sixth, Ozarks took a 4-3 lead has Juan Munoz drilled a homer to center.
WashU tied things up 4-4 in the top of the eighth inning.
Pellegrino singled to second base and advanced to third on a Miller double to center. Mazone brought Pellegrino in with a sac fly to left.
In the top of the ninth inning, the Bears exploded for four runs.
O'Connor was hit by a pitch to lead things off and Zachery singled to left field to advance the runner.
Kaden Bernhard singled to short, bringing in O'Connor to make it a 5-4 game.
Buday drew a walk to load the bases and Pellegrino singled to right field, bringing in Zachery and Bernhard for a 7-4 Bears' lead. Mazone drove in the last run with a sac fly to center, scoring Buday.
Pellegrino finished 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. Zachery went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run while Buday finished 2-for-3 with one run scored.
Will Henkel picked up the win on the mound, pitching four innings of relief with five strikeouts, three hits and two runs.
The Bears wrap up the series against the University of the Ozarks tomorrow with a 12 p.m. game.
