ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team outslugged the University of Chicago, 12-8, in the series finale, Sunday, March 10. With the win, WashU recorded a three-game series sweep of the Maroons. Additionally, for the first time since 2020, the Bears offense put up 10-plus runs in four consecutive games.  

 

The Bears, who are riding a four-game winning streak, own a record of 9-3. Chicago's record dipped to 1-6 on the year. 

 

Junior Sebastian Guzman got the start on the bump for the Bears. Guzman earned a no-decision in the contest, tossing 3.2 innings of work, allowing five hits and two runs. 

 

First year Townsend Stevenson registered his first collegiate win out of WashU's bullpen. Stevenson fired 2.1 innings, surrendering just one hit and one run. Stevenson fanned four Maroons in his outing. 

 

WashU outhit the Maroons by a final tally of 12-9. Junior Brandon Buday led WashU's offense with a 3-for-5 showing, including a game-high three RBI. 

 

The Maroons scored one run in the top of the first on a slow roller RBI single to second to snag the early 1-0 lead. On the RBI single, junior first basemen Dax Braemer caught a Chicago runner trying to cross the plate from second as he sent a perfect strike to junior Braden Mazone who applied the tag at the plate to limit the damage to just one run. Heading to the bottom of the first, Chicago held the 1-0 lead. 

 

In the bottom of the third, WashU manufactured a first and third situation, with only one out on a graduate student Evan Minarovic single and a sophomore Shane Pellegrino fielder's choice. With runners on the corners, Mazone singled through the right side as Minarovic scored on the play to even the score at 1-1. The next Bear at the dish, senior Clayton Miller, recorded an RBI groundout to send Pellegrino scampering to the plate to give WashU its first lead of contest, 2-1. After three innings in the books, the Bears clung to a one-run, 2-1, advantage. 

 

Chicago answered in the top of the fourth with one run to knot the score at 2-2. With runners on first and second, with two out, Stevenson recorded a full-count strikeout to retire the side with the score tied at two apiece. 

 

However, WashU tallied three runs in the bottom of the fourth to retake the lead, 5-2. Senior Kaden Bernhard got the frame started with a sharp single to right. After a fielder's choice, Braemer laced another single to right to set up first and third, with one gone. Minarovic recorded a sacrifice fly to left which brought senior Harry Mauterer home to put the score at 3-2, in favor of the Bears. Back-to-back singles by Buday and Pellegrino allowed one Bear to cross the plate on each base knock to increase WashU's lead to three, 5-2. 

 

The Maroons cut WashU's lead to a pair, 5-3, on a sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth. 

 

WashU earned its three-run cushion back in the bottom of the fifth on a Mauterer sacrifice fly to center. In the frame, Miller earned a leadoff walk and then advanced to third on a Bernhard single to right. With Miller on third, Mauterer did his job with a sacrifice fly to push across WashU's sixth run of the contest. 

 

The Bears pushed the game open in the bottom of the seventh with six runs to generate a nine-run, 12-3, cushion. 

 

Chicago made things interesting in the ninth, scoring five runs. However, Miller came out of the bullpen to secure the final two outs to preserve the 12-8 victory over the Maroons. 

 

WashU will travel to Memphis, Tenn. for a two game series against Rhodes College, Tuesday-Wednesday, March 12-13. The Bears and Lynx will tangle in a single game on Tuesday and Wednesday, with a first pitch of 12 p.m. both days.