March 18, 2000

Box Score

CINCINNATI - Saint Louis University baseball took the second half of this afternoon's doubleheader 10-3 to hand Conference USA leading Cincinnati only its third loss of the year. The Billikens (6-11, 1-2 C-USA) fell in the first game 4-2, but posted 10 runs on 11 hits as second baseman Nick Steiner (Chesterfield, Mo./Parkway Central) hit two home runs to lead the offense. In his first start of the season, freshman Zach Placzek (Omaha, Neb./Creighton Prep) scattered seven hits in earning the complete game victory.

In game two, the Bearcats took an early 1-0 lead with a home run in the first inning and Steiner later tied it up with a solo bomb of his own in the top of the fourth. Eric Constable (Chesterfield, Mo./Marquette) led off the sixth inning with a homer to center, but the Bills were not finished. The next three batters added to the threat as Paul Miles (St. Louis, Mo./Jefferson Coll.) walked, Steiner hit his second single of the game and Adam Shea (Chesterfield, Mo./DeSmet) bunted them to second and third. Jim Bredenkoetter (St. Louis, Mo./DeSmet) hit a single to left to clear the bases and put the Billikens on top 4-1.

Placzek struck out two in the bottom of the inning as he sat the Bearcats down in order. Saint Louis added two more runs in the seventh on a Shea single that scored Miles and Constable who had both walked. Bredenkoetter put one over the fence in right center to lead off the eighth. The Bearcats rallied in the bottom half of the inning as Matt Singer hit a two-out, two-run homer. In the top of the ninth, Steiner hit his second home run to drive in two more runs and John McLaughlin (Glencoe, Mo./Eureka) hit one out as well. Placzek struck out two and got the assist on the final out to close out the win.

In the first game, a leadoff walk led to a two-run home run for UC's Kevin Youkilis in the first inning. Down 4-0 after the Bearcats added a pair of runs in the seventh, the Billikens finally got on the board in the top of the eighth when Steiner's two-out double plated Miles and Shea scored Steiner on a single to cut the lead in half. UC's B.J. Borsa retired the Bills in order in the top of the ninth to end the game. Starter Dan Shouse (Ballwin, Mo./Marquette) took the loss for Saint Louis to fall to 1-3 on the year.

Saint Louis continues its five-game road trip with games at SIU Carbondale and UT-Martin on March 21 and 22.