Feb. 17, 2006

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis baseball opened its season with a pair of losses in a doubleheader at No. 21 Mississippi. The Billikens dropped game one 9-1 after being out-hit by the Rebels 16-3. Game two yielded a 11-2 defeat for SLU. Originally scheduled as a single game Friday night, the coaches decided to play two due to probable inclement weather in the area for the remainder of the weekend.

In game one, the Billikens opened the season with junior transfer Brock Hewitt on the mound, and the right-hander kept the Rebels off the board through the first three innings. In the bottom of the fourth, a pair of singles opened the frame and put runners on the corners. An error brought the first run home and opened the floodgates for Ole Miss. A sacrifice fly made it a 2-0 lead, and a Cody Overbeck single pushed it to 3-0. Centerfield Alex Presley sent a shot down the rightfield line and over the wall for a quick 5-0 margin before Hewitt was able to get out of the inning.

The Billikens posted a single in the first and second innings, but did not reach base again until the ninth inning. Meanwhile, the Rebels tacked on one run in each inning following the five-run outburst in the fourth. SLU avoided the shutout after Ryan Crespi reached on an error in the top of the ninth. Gilbert Marlowe picked up the season's first RBI with a double to left. Marlowe advanced to third on a while pitch, but Ole Miss reliever Stoney Stone got out of the inning with a strikeout and a fly ball.

Game two saw SLU strike first with a pair of runs in the top of the third. Casey Moore kicked off the inning with a single to right. After he advanced to second on a wild pitch, he moved to third on Crespi's single through the left side. Marlowe drew a walk to load the bases, and a fielding error allowed both Moore and Crespi to cross the plate.

The Rebels answered quickly with four runs in the bottom of the third. A pair of singles opened the inning, and both runners moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt. After SLU starter Ryan Bird issued a walk to load the bases, Presley sent a triple down the rightfield line to put the Rebels up 3-2. A sacrifice fly from Zack Cozart made it a 4-2 margin. Bird faced more trouble with a hit batter and another walk, but got Alex Kilman to ground out to end the inning.

Moore tried to get a rally going with a two-out single in the top of the fourth, but Rebels' starter Nick Hetland recorded his third strikeout of the night to end the inning. The Ole Miss offense picked up right where they left off in the third, adding three runs to the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Two singles and a sacrifice fly pushed the lead to 5-2 with a runner on when Presley duplicated his triple down the rightfield line for a 6-2 margin. Cozert's two-out single through the left side plated Presley before Bird could close the inning.

SLU drew a pair of walks in the fifth but could not answer the Rebel offensive push. Freshman dave Sever took over for Bird on the mound and shut down the Rebels in the fifth and sixth innings. In the top of the seventh, the Billikens put their first two hitters on as Crespi drew a walk and Tim Landy singled to right center. Ole Miss reliever Lance Lynn caught Marlowe looking a strike three and induced a double play to end the threat. Ole Miss added an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh and thre more in the eighth.

The teams will attempt to play the third, and final, game of the series on Sat., Feb. 18, beginning no earlier than 1 p.m. If weather prohibits play tomorrow, they hope to play the game at it originally scheduled time on Sunday.