Members of the WashU Bears talk pitching strategy during Wednesday’s rivalry game against Webster at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget. (Photo: Primo Greenway)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WashU (14-5) | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14 | 4 |
| Webster (7-8) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 13 | 1 |
WP: Anderson Gomez – WASHU (2-0) LP: K. Corcoran – WEB (1-2) SV: Clayton Miller – WASHU (5)
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
SAUGET, IL — After a couple of outings where it couldn’t get its offense going, the Washington University baseball team found its hitting touch in a big way on Wednesday.
The Bears banged out 14 hits and scored at least one run in each of the first seven innings to cruise to a 10-6 win over rival Webster University in a game at Grizzlies Ballpark.
Five different WashU players had two hits, including senior Clayton Miller, who also walked twice, drove in four runs, and scored two runs. One of his hits was a three-run homer in the sixth inning that turned a sort of close game into a blowout and gave the Bears a 9-2 lead.
The homer was Miller’s third of the season and gave him 18 RBIs on the year. Both totals are second-best on the Bears this year.
Team home run leader Kaden Bernhard also had two hits, including his fourth homer. His blast was a solo shot in the third inning.
Other WashU hitters who had big days included Shane Pellegrino (2-5 1 RBI), Magnus Dunn (2-5 1 RBI, two runs scored), Evan Minarovic (2-5), and Connor Lindsey (1-3 two runs scored). Every batter in the WashU starting lineup had at least one hit on the day.
Miller got the scoring started with an RBI double in the top of the first. The Bears got two more runs in the second, one on a groundout and one on an RBI hit by Pellegrino.
Bernhard’s homer in the third made it 4-0 WashU, before Webster got on the board with a run in the bottom half of the third. Another RBI groundout made it 5-1 Bears in the fourth, before the Gorloks got a solo homer of their own to make it 5-2.
That’s when WashU really took over.
First, they got a run in the fifth to make it 6-2, before Miller launched a mammoth blast over the left-field wall in the sixth to make it 9-2. Both teams added runs in the later innings, but Miller’s homer is what gave the Bears the edge it needed.
Miller wasn’t done though. He took over the mound in the seventh inning and pitched three scoreless frames, with three strikeouts to pick up the save. It was the senior righthander’s fifth save of the season.
WashU improved its record to 14-5, while Webster fell to 7-8.
The Bears will be back at Kelly Field this weekend. That’s where they will host a three-game series against No. 9-ranked Wisconsin-La Crosse. The Bears and Eagles will play a doubleheader on Saturday and a single game on Sunday.
First pitch on both days is at noon.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | WASHU | WEB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | WASHU | 1st | C. Miller doubled to left field, RBI; M. Dunn scored. | 1 | 0 |
| WASHU | 2nd | B. Buday grounded out to ss, RBI; C. Lindsey advanced to third; B. Mazone scored. | 2 | 0 |
| WASHU | 2nd | S. Pellegrino singled to left field, RBI; C. Lindsey scored. | 3 | 0 |
| WASHU | 3rd | K. Bernhard homered to left field, RBI. | 4 | 0 |
 | WEB | 3rd | R. Larocco doubled to left field, RBI; J. Theodore scored. | 4 | 1 |
| WASHU | 4th | M. Dunn grounded out to 3b, RBI; B. Buday scored. | 5 | 1 |
| WEB | 4th | E. Evola homered to right field, RBI. | 5 | 2 |
| WASHU | 5th | B. Mazone grounded out to 2b, RBI; E. Minarovic advanced to third; C. Miller scored. | 6 | 2 |
| WASHU | 6th | C. Miller homered to right center, 3 RBI; K. Bernhard scored; M. Dunn scored. | 9 | 2 |
| WEB | 6th | R. Larocco singled through the left side, RBI; J. Theodore advanced to second; K. Peters scored. | 9 | 3 |
| WEB | 6th | N. Martinez singled to center field, RBI; R. Larocco advanced to second; J. Theodore scored. | 9 | 4 |
| WASHU | 7th | B. Buday advanced to third; S. Polk scored on a balk. | 10 | 4 |
| WEB | 7th | R. Larocco reached on a fielder’s choice, RBI; J. Theodore out at second 3b to 2b; K. Peters advanced to third, scored on an error by 2b, unearned; Z. Goodman scored. | 10 | 6 |
WASHU BEARS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | #9 Wisconsin-La Crosse | Kelly Field | |
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | #9 Wisconsin-La Crosse | Kelly Field | |
| March 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | #9 Wisconsin-La Crosse | Kelly Field | |
| March 29, 2024 (Friday) | 3 p.m. | Home | New York University | Kelly Field | |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | New York University | Kelly Field | |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | New York University | Kelly Field | |
| March 31, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Home | New York University | Kelly Field | |
| April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Fontbonne University | Kelly Field | |
| April 10, 2024 (Wednesday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology | Kelly Field | |
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Emory University | Kelly Field | |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Emory University | Kelly Field | |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Emory University | Kelly Field | |
| April 14, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Home | Emory University | Kelly Field | |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 3 p.m. EST | Away | Brandeis University | Boston, Mass. | |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. EST | Away | Brandeis University | Boston, Mass. | |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. EST | Away | Brandeis University | Boston, Mass. | |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. EST | Away | Brandeis University | Boston, Mass. | |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 3 p.m. EST | Away | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. EST | Away | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. EST | Away | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| April 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. EST | Away | Case Western Reserve University | Cleveland, Ohio | |
| May 17-19, 2024 | TBA | Neutral | NCAA Regionals | TBA | NCAA Regionals |
| May 24-26, 2024 | TBA | Neutral | NCAA Super Regionals | TBA | NCAA Super Regionals |
| May 31-June 6, 2024 | TBA | Neutral | NCAA Division III World Series | Eastlake, Ohio | NCAA Division III World Series |