Baseball Beats Milwaukee SOE 7-0, Falls to No. 11 Illinois Wesleyan 7-4
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St. Louis, Mo., March 20, 2011 – The Washington University in St. Louis baseball team picked up a 7-0 victory over the Milwaukee School of Engineering before dropping a 7-4 decision to the defending NCAA Division III champion Illinois Wesleyan University Titans in a doubleheader on Sunday afternoon at Kelly Field in St. Louis, Mo.
Washington University scored six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning against Milwaukee to break open a 1-0 game. Senior Matt Bayer and junior Joe Noon each delivered two-RBI base hits during the Bears’ big inning with senior first basemen Matt Skinner and sophomore Stephen Bonser also picking up RBI’s in the frame.
Senior David Leibman was dominant on the hill for Washington University scattering five hits over nine scoreless innings. He struck out a career-high 12 batters while walking just two to even his 2011 record at 1-1.
Washington University fell behind Illinois Wesleyan 5-0 before rallying for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Illinois Wesleyan starter Joe Sweeney had limited the Bears to just one base hit before junior Brandon Rogalski sent a single up the middle to start the seventh.
Rogalski came around to score on an RBI grounder from Bayer and with two outs and the bases loaded, senior Miguel Davis came through with the Bears’ fourth base hit of the inning, bringing Bayer and sophomore David Madson across the plate. Sweeney finally escaped the jam by getting freshman Kyle Billig to ground into a force out to end the inning.
Illinois Wesleyan added two more runs in the top of the eighth to stretch its lead back up to four. Washington University rallied again in the ninth when sophomore Seth Bensussen led off with a double to left-center field. The Bears had their first three batters reach base in the bottom of the ninth, scoring one run, but Titan reliever Ryan Hamm recorded three-straight outs to end the game.
Rogalski fell to 1-2 after receiving the loss against Illinois Wesleyan. He made the start and allowed five runs, but only two earned, while giving up eight hits with three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Sweeney threw eight innings with 10 strikeouts to improve his record to 2-1.
Washington U. (10-10) returns to action on Tuesday, March 22, when it hosts Illinois College for a doubleheader at Kelly Field in St. Louis, Mo., starting at 1 p.m.