WESTFIELD, Mass. – Washington University of Missouri junior Clayton Miller (Houston, Tex.) launched a pair of home runs to power the Bears past Westfield State 15-6 on Tuesday afternoon from USA Stadium Complex in Millington, Tenn.
Both offenses provided fireworks today as both teams combined for 21 runs on 26 hits, which included six home runs.
The Owls drop to 2-4 on the season, while Washington University win their seventh straight game, improving to 10-2 overall. The Bears entered today's game with serious momentum and are now receiving votes in the Division III Baseball top 25 poll as of yesterday.
Westfield scored the opening run of the game in the bottom half of the first with Alex Martin (Shrewsbury, Mass.) drawing a walk in his first collegiate start of his career. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, then advanced from third and then to home on two separate balk calls to put the Owls ahead 1-0.
Washington University responded in the ensuing frame, starting with Miller who rocketed a leadoff home run to left to even the game. Zac Malis (Glenview, Ill.) followed with a one-out, RBI single into right-center field to plate Kaden Bernhard (Nonthaburi, Thailand). Hunter Goldberg (Memphis, Tenn.) came around to score after Malis advanced to second on a stolen base, then Chris Jacinto (Houston, Tex.) laced a double into the left-center field gap to cap the four-run second inning.
The Owls got a run back in the bottom half of the inning on a solo shot from Kyle Darby (South Windsor, Conn.) to trim the Bears' lead to two runs at 4-2.
The baseball continued to fly out of the yard with Braden Mazone (Encinitas, Calif.) connecting on a solo home run in the third to bring the Wash U lead back to three runs.
Westfield continued to fight throughout the contest as the Owls shrank the deficit to two runs again in the bottom of the fourth. Robison Guerrero Baez (Dominican Republic) wrapped a grounder into the hole that was stopped by the Bears shortstop, and as Baez beat the throw to the bag, the ball got past the first baseman, allowing for Darby to trot home.
Owls' starting pitcher Joe Fischer (Avon, Mass.) was able to limit a potential big inning for the Bears after hitting Goldberg with a pitch with the bases loaded. He was able to force a shallow fly out from Malis, then a grounder to short from Brandon Buday (Willow Springs, Ill.) to escape the frame by giving up a single run.
A crushing blow to the Owls chances of a victory came in the top half of the sixth inning with a familiar face in Miller doing the damage by crushing a three-run homer to left field to drive the Bears lead up to 9-3 midway through the sixth.
Another Bears long ball costed the Owls two more runs in the top half of the seventh as Jacinto belted a one-out home run to left to put Wash U up 11-3.
The Owls tried to mount a sizeable crooked number in the seventh inning after singles from Baez, Martin, and Devin Slattery (Ware, Mass.) loaded the bases with one out. Nick Marshall (Reading, Mass.) patiently drew a run-scoring walk to make it 11-4, then Dan Burnett (Granville, Mass.) hit a deep fly ball to center field that stayed in the yard, amounting to a sacrifice fly.
The bases were reloaded again with two down in the inning, but Miles Quemuel-Labrador (Honolulu, HI) ended the inning by getting the final out on a sharply hit grounder to short.
The Bears' bats stayed hot throughout the duration of the game, tacking on four additional runs in the eighth inning, which included Wash U's fifth homer of the day as a team off the bat of Broghan O'Connor (Chicago, Ill.).
Martin was extremely poised at the plate for the Owls, reaching base four times via two walks, a hit, and an error. He scored twice. Baez delivered a three-hit afternoon for the Owls with Justin Neidel (Attleboro, Mass.) also adding a multi-hit game for Westfield.
Fischer (L, 0-1) took the loss for the Owls after tossing five innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits.
Jacinto, Mazone, Miller, and Malis all supplied three-hit games for the Bears with Jacinto and Miller combining for eight of the Bears 14 RBI in the contest. Hank Weiss (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) got the start and the win for Wash U, tossing five innings and allowing three runs (two earned) with 11 strikeouts.
Westfield State has two games remaining on their spring break trip in Tennessee as the Owls will look to get back into the win column tomorrow against Rhodes College from Memphis Tenn. at 12:00 P.M. EST/11:00 A.M. CST in what will serve as a true road game for Westfield.