In its last four games — all losses at Dartmouth — the baseball team scored a combined eight runs. On Wednesday, the Bulldogs (16–18–1, 3–9 Ivy) more than doubled that total in one game, but still ended up losing.

Yale fell on the road to struggling cross-town rivals Quinnipiac, 19–18, on a three-run, walk-off home run by the Bobcats (7–24).

“It was a pretty tough loss for us,” right fielder Andrew Kolmar ’11 said. “We really didn’t do too many of the aspects of the game really well, even though we did hit. It’s just a tough loss at a tough time for us.”

The loss increased the Elis’ losing streak to five games.

In what was scheduled as a “staff game” for the Bulldogs to preserve their pitchers’ arms for this weekend’s four-game homestand against Harvard, Yale put six different hurlers on the mound.

Right-hander Matthew Smith ’10, who had appeared in less than 10 innings this year, got the start for the Elis, but gave up 10 hits and nine runs in one and 1/3 innings. Included in those 10 runs was a three-run blast over the left field wall by Quinnipiac third baseman Joe Poletsky.

Down 9–2 after the second inning, the Bulldogs got three runs back in the top of the third thanks in part to a two-run single by shortstop Trey Rallis ’11. Rallis, who went 4-for-6 on the day with three RBIs, then scored on a double from left fielder Andrew Moore ’11.

After pitcher Eric Shultz ’12 shut down the Bobcat offense in his two innings of hitless work, the Elis tied things up 9–9 in the fifth inning with a grand slam by Andrew Kolmar ’11.

But Yale was quickly put back on its heels when the Bobcats scored two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings off Greg Lyons ’12 to regain the lead, 13–9.

The Bulldogs, though, took their first lead of the game with five runs in the seventh, including a full-count, bases loaded triple from third baseman Andy Megee ’11.

Quinnipiac was not ready to give up either, as it immediately scored three runs to once again take the lead, 16–14. Robert Gruber ’10, who was relieving Lyons, gave up a two-run home run in addition to an RBI single.

The Elis responded with three runs of their own to take a 17–16 lead in the top of the eighth inning.

Then, in the top of the ninth, after Gruber had retired the side, Yale made it 18–16 when Chris Piwinski ’13 walked with the bases loaded.

Gruber returned for his third inning of work in the bottom of the ninth hoping to get the save.

The win seemed imminent, as the Bobcats were still down by two and already had two outs with just a runner on first base. But after Quinnipiac left fielder Ben Farina singled, Gruber was replaced on the mound by Megee. Two pitches later, Brian Monack, the Bobcats’ number three hitter, hit a walk-off blast to win the game for the home squad, 19–18.

Although Moore said midweek losses are easier to handle than Ivy League defeats, he said the way in which the team lost was discouraging.

“It was a really frustrating day overall,” Moore said. “We started down in a big hole and we battled back. Overall, a lot of guys were really upset.”

The two teams combined for a total of forty hits and each team failed to score in only three of their nine innings.

Yale will try to break its five game losing streak when it hosts Harvard in two doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday afternoons.