WALTHAM, Mass. – The No. 15 Washington University in St. Louis baseball team picked up a doubleheader sweep of Brandeis on the road on Saturday to wrap up the weekend with a 3-1 UAA series win over the Judges. The Bears took game one 7-5 before grabbing and holding on for a 14-9 win in game two.

In the second game, WashU broke a 10-year-old UAA record for team stolen bases in a game with 13. The previous mark was 12, set by Case Western Reserve (also against Brandeis) on March 3, 2016.

WashU 7, Brandeis 5
WashU got on the board first in the top of the second with a quartet of runs. With one out, senior Shane Pellegrino stole second and was followed by a single from first-year Jacob Witte to put runners on the corners. A double by sophomore Cooper Greene allowed Pellegrino to score and put Witte on third.

A sacrifice fly by senior Connor Lindsey allowed Witte to score as WashU went up 2-0. Graduate student Josh Erpenbeck then doubled down the left field line, scoring Greene. The Bears then went up 4-0 on a single through the right side by sophomore Kevin Stephens that scored Erpenbeck.

WashU added two more in the top of the fifth when both junior Anthony Equale and Pellegrino scored after reaching on back-to-back hits to lead off the frame.

The Judges got the two runs back in the bottom of the sixth. A solo home run to lead off their half of the inning and a runner who reached on a single up the middle came around to score on a wild pitch, trimming the lead down to 6-2.

The Bears went back up by five with a single run in the top of the eighth. Lindsey led off with a 10-pitch walk before advancing to third and eventually scoring on a sacrifice fly by first-year Chance Cromer.

Brandeis attempted a two-out, bottom-of-the-ninth rally with a triple that scored a runner who had reached on an error, and a two-run home run to trim the lead down to 7-5. But a groundout to second ended the contest in favor of WashU.

Greene finished with a pair of hits to lead the way for the Bears, while he, Pellegrino, and Erpenbeck all collected a double.

Junior Townsend Stevenson (2-3) picked up the win, going 5.0 innings and striking out six.

WashU 14, Brandeis 9
The Bears scored three or more runs in four different innings to pull away and hold on for the 14-9 win to claim the UAA series.

WashU scored three runs in the top of the first to quickly jump out to a 3-0 lead. Three walks to start the game by Cromer, sophomore Ryan Soong, and Equale were followed by a sacrifice fly by Pellegrino and a double by Witte, scoring the first three batters for the Bears.

A walk and a double down the left field line by Brandeis in the bottom of the second got one of the runs back as WashU led 3-1 after two innings.

It was a four-run third for the Bears as Pellegrino led off with a double and Witte walked. A double steal put runners on second and third. A sacrifice fly by Greene allowed both baserunners to advance, scoring Pellegrino. Stephens then reached on an error by the shortstop while Witte scored, putting the Bears ahead 5-1.

Then with two outs, Stephens came in to score on a stolen base to third and a throwing error by the catcher as WashU led 6-1. After the Bears loaded the bases once again, Equale hit a single to left field, scoring Erpenbeck, who had reached on a single following Stephens' run.

Brandeis answered immediately with three runs in the bottom of the third using a pair of hits and a WashU error to trim the lead back down to 7-4 after three innings. They continued their push with a single run in the bottom of the fourth, cutting the WashU lead down to just two, 7-5.

The Bears responded in their next half inning when Cromer led off with a single and Soong walked. A double steal later saw runners on second and third before a groundout by Pellegrino allowed Cromer to score as WashU went back up by three, 8-5.

The seventh inning saw WashU get back to its biggest lead at six with another three-run frame. A walk by Erpenbeck and a hit-by-pitch on Cromer saw both take one more base on a double steal. Erpenbeck came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Equale before a single by Pellegrino through the right side scored Cromer. Pellegrino eventually came in to score after a walk to Witte and a single by Greene to right field as the Bears led 11-5.

It didn't take long before the Judges were right back within three as they tacked on three runs in the bottom of the seventh. They scored all three with two outs and just one hit before leaving the bases loaded.

Leading 11-8 going into the top of the eighth, WashU saw a near grand slam by Pellegrino to left center with the bases loaded, but he would settle for a three-RBI double as the Bears went back up by six, 14-8.

Brandeis used a WashU error to get the leadoff batter on board before he came around to score on a single through the left side, trimming the lead down to 14-9. The Bears induced back-to-back groundouts to third base to close out the game in favor of WashU.

Eight different Bears recorded a stolen base, with four taking at least two bases. Pellegrino led WashU at the plate with three hits, including two doubles, six RBIs and two runs scored. Both Soong and Witte were walked three times.

Junior Parker Guthrie (4-1) picked up the win in 3.1 innings of relief after making an appearance in game one of the doubleheader. He finished with seven strikeouts in game two.

WashU closes out the regular season next weekend when it travels to Case Western Reserve for another four-game UAA series. Game one with the Spartans will take place on Friday, April 24 at 3 p.m. ET.
 
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