April 25, 2006

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Two Saint Louis home runs and solid defense in the ninth delivered a 5-3 win over Missouri State this afternoon at The Billiken Sports Center. Junior Ryan Crespi smacked the game-winning three-run shot off the scoreboard in right field in the bottom of the seventh as the Billikens (20-19) snapped a four-game losing streak. The home run was the order of the day for both teams as all three Missouri State (20-17) runs and four of the Billikens' five came via the long ball on a blustery day.

Making his first start since March 11, SLU right-hander Eric Rohr (Belleville, Ill./Belleville West) retired the Bears in order in the top of the first. The offense gave him an early lead to work with as Crespi ripped a triple to right center and came home on Johnny Sweeney's ground out in the bottom of the frame. The Bears answered quickly on Jacob Hilgendorf's solo home run to left center in the top of the second.

MSU looked for the lead in the top of the third when Chris Taylor led off with a single, but SLU catcher Bill Musselman threw him out trying to steal second. After Matt Lawson reached on an error, Musselman picked him off at first just before Rohr struck out Adam Pummill to end the inning.

Neither team got a runner past second over the next two innings until the Bears again vied for the lead in the top of the sixth. A leadoff walk to Pummill was compounded by a double to left from Nolan Keane. Rohr got a pair of ground balls, including one from Hilgendorf that Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) fielded at third the threw out Pummill racing for home. Tim Rafferty got rung up looking at strike three to end the threat.

The missed opportunity proved critical for the Bears when Sweeney led off the bottom of the sixth with his first home run of the season to give the Bills a 2-1 advantage. Again, the Billiken lead did not last long. Freshman Corey Tyberendt (St. Louis, Mo./Pattonville) took over for Rohr in the top of the seventh. After retiring the first hitter, the left-hander walked Tanner Mattson, which set up Taylor's two-run home run to left to give the Bears their first lead of the day at 3-2.

In the see-saw battle, the Billikens took up the challenge in the bottom of the seventh as Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) and Pinnell smacked a pair of one-out singles. A fielder's choice retired Pinnell but left runners on the corners for Crespi. Their location mattered little when the Billiken centerfielder stroked his second home run of the season for a 5-3 SLU lead.

Senior Kurt Struckhoff (Glencoe, Mo./Lafayette) replaced Tyberendt in the top of the eighth and word around the leadoff single the Billiken freshman yielded to Keane. In the ninth, SLU went to closer B.J. Rodrigue, who issued a leadoff walk to Clay Coulter. The sophomore right-hander got Mattson to foul out to a diving Pinnell down the left field line, and the Billiken third baseman sprang up to gun down pinch runner Ryan Mantle racing for second for the second out of the inning. Taylor kept things going with a double that cleared chalk on the right field line, but Rodrigue fanned Lawson to pick up his second save of the season.

Tyberendt picked up the win for the Billikens, the first decision of his career, despite giving up two runs on two hits in an inning of relief. Rohr's first start back from injury was solid as he yielded just one run on five hits and struck out five in six innings of work. MSU starter Jake Shafer took the loss as he allowed five runs on nine hits in 6-2/3 innings. Crespi's three RBI led all hitters, while his three hits matched MSU's Keane and Taylor for game-high honors.

Saint Louis is back in action on Wed., Apr. 26, in its second wood bat game in a week. The Billikens square off against Southern Illinois at 7 p.m. at GMC Stadium in Sauget, Ill.