April 25, 2000

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - A ninth-inning Saint Louis rally forced extra innings, but the Missouri Tigers finally edged the Billikens 5-3 in 12 innings tonight at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo. Playing with wooden bats provided by Rawlings Sporting Goods, the two teams pounded out 19 hits, including four for extra bases.

In his first career start, Saint Louis' Brad Wehrfritz gave up just five hits and three runs, two earned, in 6-1/3 innings. The Tigers posted a run in the first inning when Jayce Tingler recorded a leadoff single, stole second and advanced to third on an error. Wehrfritz got Tiger star Ryan Stegall to ground into a doubleplay, but Tingler scored on the play.

The Billikens went quietly in the bottom of the inning, but answered with two runs on four hits in the second. Tiger hurler Drew Endicott gave up four-straight singles to Adam Shea, Nick Steiner, Mike Orrico and Brian Haddock as the Billikens found their stride. Paul Miles stepped up with the bases loaded after Joe Boyer walked and put a sacrifice fly into left to score Orrico. Haddock was caught stealing to end the inning, but the Billikens were up 2-1.

Each pitcher yielded only one hit through the next three innings before Missouri plated a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Runners were in scoring position after a walk and a wild pitch when Stegall plated Tingler with a sacrifice fly. Nick Wilfong plated the second run with a double to left center.

Ben Hutton came on in relief of Wehrfritz in the seventh with one out and two men on base. The sophomore forced a double play to end the inning. The Billiken offense had stalled, however, as Endicott faced the minimum in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. Hutton faced just three in the top of the ninth and it was up to the offense to save the day in the bottom of the inning.

Stegall replaced Endicott on the mound and the Bills went to work. Kurt Evans led off with a double down the leftfield line and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Jim Bredenkoetter. Shea plated the run with an RBI single to tie the game at 3-3. With one on and one out, the Billikens had Steiner at the plate. The junior second baseman hit a long fly ball to deep centerfield for the second out. Orrico suffered the same fate with a fly ball to right and the game went to extra innings.

Hutton allowed a hit in the 10th, but there was little threat from the Tigers. The Billikens similarly recorded a hit, but did no threaten to score. The 11th inning was even more uneventful for both sides.

Wilfong reached on a leadoff single in the 12th and scored two batters later on Jon Williams' triple to left. Another single down the leftfield line plated Williams before Hutton got a double play to end the inning. Again, the Billiken bats would have to answer the call. Steiner and Orrico posted the first two outs before Haddock gave the Bills life with a double down the rightfield line. Boyer struck out to end the game.

Hutton went 5-2/3 innings, giving up four hits and two runs and striking out five batters, taking the loss. Stegall got the win for the Tigers after allowing just one run on four hits in four innings on the mound.

The Billikens are back in action on Wed., April 26 with a 3 p.m. game against Tennessee-Martin at The Billiken Sports Center.