Sophomore slugger Carson Cleage hit home runs on both games of WashU’s doubleheader against NYU on Saturday. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
Steven Millbrook
Staff Writer
CLAYTON, MO — The Washington University baseball team earned itself a pair of hard-fought wins on Saturday, when it won both games of a doubleheader over New York University.
The Bears trailed early in Game 1, but rallied to win 14-8. Then in Game 2, the home club jumped out to an early lead, then had to hold on late for an 8-7 victory.
As he has been for much of the season, senior Clayton Miller was the star of Game 1. At the plate, he had four hits, drove in three runs, and scored three runs — one of those hits was his team-leading fourth home run of the season.
Then on the mound, Miller (1-0) came in in relief and pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings to secure the win. Miller has five saves this season, but his effort on Saturday earned him his first win of the year.
Another star of the day was freshman Carson Cleage, who started both games of the twinbill — his first two starts of the season, and boy, did he deliver. Cleage had three hits and four RBIs in Game 1, then added two hits and three RBIs in Game 2.
The 6-foot, 195-pounder from Los Altos, Calif., also homered in both games.
Game 1 – WashU 14, NYU 8
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYU | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 11 | 1 |
| WashU | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | X | 14 | 13 | 1 |
WP: Clayton Miller – WashU (1-0) LP: Pearson – NYU (1-1)
WashU trailed by scores of 4-0, 6-2, and 8-4 before scoring 10 straight runs — three in the fifth and seven in the sixth — to win Game 1.
The Bears sent eight men to the plate in that fifth inning, which was capped by an RBI double by Cleage that made the score 8-7 NYU. Then 12 men came to the plate in sixth, which began with Miller’s homer and ended with him driving in a run on a sacrifice fly. In between, the Bears registered two hits, drew six walks, and had a hit batter.
Once the Bears got the lead, Miller only allowed one NYU baserunner the rest of the way.
Game 2 – WashU 8, NYU 7
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYU | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| WashU | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 8 | 13 | 0 |
WP: Owen Block – WashU (1-2) LP: Guerne -NYU (2-1) SV: Zach Pearl – WashU (1)
In Game 2, Cleage clobbered a deep fly, three-run homer in the bottom of the first to put WashU on the board. NYU responded with a run in the second to make the score 3-1.
But WashU added three more runs in fifth and two more in the sixth to go up 8-2 heading into the seventh. NYU wasn’t done though, the Violets got a run in the sixth, two in the seventh, and three more in the eighth that led to some serious nail biting heading into the ninth.
Fortunately, freshman Zach Pearl, who helped get WashU out of its jam in the eighth inning, tossed a three-up, three-down ninth to secure the win and his first collegiate save.
The Bears are now 16-8 on the season and 3-0 in UAA play, while NYU fell to 13-6 and 0-3.
The two clubs will play the final game of their series on Sunday. First pitch at Kelly Field is scheduled for 11 a.m.
WASHU BEARS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |