Wash. U.’s Bo Anderson blasts his sixth home run of the season, and second of the NCAA World Series, during the Bears’ 6-4 season-ending loss to St. Thomas on Sunday. (Photo courtesy Wash. U. Athletics)
by Nathan Assata
Staff Writer
The Washington University men’s baseball team’s 2021 season came to end Sunday afternoon, when the No. 1-ranked Bears lost in Game 10 of the NCAA Division III World Series, 6-4, to the University of St. Thomas of St. Paul, Minn.
Wash. U., which had been the top-ranked team in all of Division III baseball for the last six weeks, came into Sunday needing to win twice to advance to the NCAA finals. The Bears won their first game of the day, 16-5, over Adrian College and had a 4-3 lead going into the ninth inning against St. Thomas.
But the Tommies rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth and held off the Bears in the bottom half of the inning to win the game and advance to the finals themselves.
Wash. U. finished the year with a record of 34-6, one of its best seasons in school history, after having advance to the NCAA Division III National Tournament for the first time ever. The team began the year by winning its first 17 games, then later in the season won another 10 in a row, before winning its super regional and advancing to nationals.
In the game on Sunday, the Bears fell behind 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, until junior Bo Anderson smashed his second home run of the World Series to get Wash. U. on the board, and sophomore Hunter Goldberg added a clutch RBI single to tie the game.
St. Thomas got the lead back with a run in the top of the seventh. But Wash. U. rallied back again and took the lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run single by Clayton Miller, who began the day as the Bears’ starting pitcher and threw five solid innings in his first start of the season.
Junior reliever Austin Sachen struck out the side to get Wash. U. through the eighth. But St. Thomas was able to get three runs in the top of the ninth, helped out by a huge Wash. U. error — the fourth defensive miscue by the Bears of the game — to take the lead for good.
St. Thomas will now play Salisbury University of Salisbury, Md., in a best two-of-three games series to determine the national champion. Game 1 will begin on Monday.
The Bears will return home on Monday and host a private celebration of their magnificent season before heading home for the summer and prepping for next season and fall practice in September.