ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team concluded its 2024 non-conference slate with a one-run, 4-3, victory over Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Tuesday, April 9. WashU finishes its non-conference schedule with a record of 16-8. 

 

With today's win, the Bears' record upped to 19-9 on the season, while RHIT's record slipped to 14-11. 

 

WashU outhit the Fightin' Engineers by a final tally of 9-8. Sophomore Connor Lindsey and senior Zac Malis each hauled in a pair of hits for the Bears. 

 

First year Anderson Gomez picked up the win (3-0) in relief, tossing two innings. Junior Hank Weiss racked up his fourth save of the year, firing the final three innings and accumulating five strikeouts. 

 

Malis led off the bottom of the second with a double down the left field line to get himself into scoring position. Lindsey then laced a single to center, which brought home Malis on the base knock to give WashU the 1-0 lead, while Lindsey advanced to second on the throw to the plate. Senior Magus Dunn then placed a perfect bunt single down the third base side to set up first and third, with just one out. However, a flyout and a strikeout ended the frame, with the Bears ahead 1-0 after two innings of play. 

 

Senior Clayton Miller, who missed a home run by inches, secured a led off double in the bottom half of the third. Clayton Miller advanced to third on a throwing error by the RHIT left fielder. With Clayton Miller on third, graduate student Evan Minarovic notched an RBI groundout to short to push WashU's cushion to a pair, 2-0. Later in the frame, junior Brandon Buday walked, Malis was hit by a pitch, then graduate student Sam Polk singled to shallow center to load the bases with one out as RHIT made a pitching change. 

 

After the pitching change, Buday scored on a passed ball to generate a 3-0 lead for the Bears. With three innings in the books, WashU manufactured the 3-0 advantage. 

 

The Fightin' Engineers tallied three runs in the top of the fourth to even the score at 3-3. First year Owen Block came out of WashU's bullpen and induced a key 5-4-3 twin killing to keep RHIT at just three runs. 

 

WashU grabbed the one-lead, 4-3, in the bottom of the fifth. With runners on first and second, Lindsey garnered an infield single to second. The throw to first was high and Malis took full advantage by stealing the go-ahead run on the play, diving head first at the plate just before the return throw from the Rose-Hulman first basemen. 

 

After RHIT notched a leadoff double in the top of the seventh, Weiss entered out of the bullpen and kept WashU's one-run, 4-3, lead with a strikeout and two groundouts as the game progressed to the seventh-inning stretch. 

 

Weiss thwarted Rose-Hulman's comeback hopes by posting clean eighth and ninth innings to preserve WashU's 4-3 victory over the Fightin' Engineers. 

 

The Bears will host Emory University for a four-game University Athletic Association (UAA) series, Friday-Sunday, April 12-14. Game one of the series is scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.