After moving to the top seed in the University Athletic Association (UAA) conference last week, the Emory baseball team fell to No. 16-ranked Washington University Bears in St. Louis (WashU) (Mo.) in all four games of their series. The sweep dropped the team to second in the conference.
Emory lost their first game against WashU 8-1. Emory’s only run came in the eighth inning off the bat of senior infielder Bubby Terp, who singled to right field and brought in junior infielder Ryan Adelman. The loss went to junior pitcher Richard Brereton, who fell to 2-1 after allowing six runs on eight hits and two walks in four innings.
The series continued with a doubleheader on April 20. The Eagles kept the first game close, but ultimately fell to the Bears 3-2. WashU had a 2-1 lead heading into the top of the eighth inning when sophomore outfielder Jack Rubenstein hit an RBI single to tie the game. Rubenstein and Brereton combined for six of the team’s 10 hits. Unlike the previous game, the Eagles put 11 runners on base but were ultimately unable to capitalize on these opportunities. Sophomore pitcher Jack Moore received the no-decision after allowing two earned runs, three hits, four walks and striking out four in seven innings. The loss goes to freshman pitcher Jack Brodsky, who fell to 6-3.
After losing the second game of the series, the Eagles needed to win the rest of the series to keep their UAA Championship dreams alive. Unfortunately, Emory lost the second game of the doubleheader 7-2 after allowing six unanswered runs early in the game. The Eagles were held scoreless for six frames before breaking through with two runs in the seventh after an RBI double from Terp and a sacrifice fly by senior catcher Eric Terry. Terp had another strong game, hitting a pair of doubles, driving in an RBI and scoring one run. Junior pitcher James Robertson was dealt the loss after he allowed six runs on six hits in 3.2 innings.
The final game of the series was a close matchup. Emory scored first on a WashU defensive error, but the Bears soon took the lead again after scoring two in the bottom of the first. Rubenstein tied the game at two with an RBI single in the third to plate Brereton. WashU broke the tie in the sixth with two RBI doubles. Terp brought the Eagles within one after he nailed a solo home run to center field, but that was not until the top of the eighth inning.The Bears were able to score an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth and hold the Eagles scoreless through the ninth to end the game 5-3. Freshman pitcher Bryant Wise earned the no-decision. Wise allowed the two runs in the first inning but settled in and pitched four more scoreless innings. The loss goes to freshman pitcher Joey Bock, who fell to 4-3.
Rubenstein and the team were upset with the loss but have high hopes for the future.
“The weekend at WashU was extremely disappointing,” Rubenstein said. “While we can no longer make regionals this year, we hope to finish the season on a high note at NYU and take that success into next year, which appears to be very bright.”
The Eagles will play their final series of the regular season away against New York University starting on April 26.
