ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The No. 10 Washington University in St. Louis baseball team opened up UAA play on Friday afternoon, falling to Chicago 8-4 at Kelly Field.
The Bears got on the board first in the bottom of the first. The first two batters were hit by a pitch as both first-year
Chance Cromer and sophomore
Ryan Soong occupied first and second base. Junior
Anthony Equale hit a hard ball between first and second that hit off Soong, causing Soong to be out by rule. After a fielder's choice saw Cromer reach third and first-year
Jacob Witte take first, the Maroons attempted to throw Witte out at second base on a steal attempt. However, Cromer seized the opportunity and scored from third before Witte was tagged out in a rundown as WashU took the 1-0 lead.
Chicago tied the game in the top of the second on a solo home run by Harrison Belden. The Maroons took the lead for good in the top of the third inning using a pair of hits to score one run and a WashU pickoff error to eventually score another, taking a 3-1 lead.
A two-out triple was followed by a double in the top of the fifth as Chicago added another run to its total.
In the bottom of the sixth, WashU trimmed the lead down to two after Equale hit a two-out single down the right field line and was followed by a triple to nearly the same spot by Witte that scored Equale.
The seventh inning saw the Maroons extend their lead to five with a second pickoff-attempt error by the Bears. With the bases loaded, Chicago hit a double down the left field line that went into the corner and scored a pair of runs. Their third run of the inning came on a sacrifice fly to right center, pushing the lead up to 7-2.
WashU got a run back in the seventh and eighth innings to trim the lead down to just three, 7-4. However, a single run by Chicago in the top of the ninth put the Maroons back up by four, 8-4, as the visitors held on for the win.
Equale led the Bears at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Junior
Townsend Stevenson (1-1) took the loss, pitching the first 6.1 innings and striking out five.
The two teams will continue their UAA series with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 28, beginning at 12 p.m. The games are part of The THO (The Hidden Opponent) Games for both the baseball and softball teams.
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Elevating scholar-champions requires resources beyond the institutional budget. Through the W Club, generous alumni, parents, and friends provide unrestricted support that is essential to the extraordinary WashU student-athlete experience—and the ongoing growth and development of the department. Annual support for Athletics allows the Bears to consistently rise to national levels of competition and ensures that our student-athletes enjoy exceptional opportunities as they train, compete, and lead. To make a gift to the Annual Fund for Athletics, please visit our secure online giving form or contact the Athletics Advancement Office at athletics@wustl.edu.
