May 19, 2006

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

DAYTON - Saint Louis picked up the win it needed to secure a position in next week's Atlantic 10 Tournament with a 5-1 victory over Dayton in the second game of today's doubleheader at Time Warner Cable Stadium. Freshman Dave Sever collected his sixth win of the season as he doubled his previous career high with eight strikeouts, including two in the ninth inning. The win made up for the Billikens' (28-25, 15-11 A-10) heart-breaking, 10th-inning 6-5 loss to the Flyers in game one of the twin bill. Dayton (31-22, 17-9 A-10) took advantage of B.J. Rodrigue's control problems on the mound to knot the game in the bottom of the ninth and won on a bases-loaded infield single in the 10th.

Despite the late loss in game one, the Billikens struck early in game two as Jon Guyre led off with an infield single and scored three batters later on Greg Rodgers' RBI ground out. The sophomore DH picked up another RBI in the sixth on a single to left center to plate Johnny Sweeney, who had pulled a two-out double to right. Casey Moore pushed the lead to 3-0 on a solo home run to left in the top of the seventh.

Meanwhile, Sever controlled the Flyers throughout the contest. He allowed just five hits through the first seven innings, tallying six of his eight strikeouts over that stretch. The Flyers spoiled the shutout with a pair of doubles in the bottom of the eighth, plating their only run of the contest. SLU tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth with RBI singles from Tim Landy and Ziggy Moore. Sever opened the closed the ninth with strikeouts, sandwiching a ground ball to first in between the two Ks.

In the hotly-contests first game of the day, Guyre picked up the game's first RBI with a bases-loaded, two-out single in the top of the second, but UD starter Luke Trubee recorded the third of his seven strikeouts in the game to leave the bases loaded before the Billikens could do any more damage. Sweeney and Rodgers hit back-to-back singles in the top of the third to make it a 2-0 lead as Sweeney scored from second on Rodgers' shot to center. As Ryan Bird rolled through the Flyers over five innings, the Billikens gave him a 4-0 lead in the top of the sixth. After an error and a hit batter, Sweeney plated Guyre and Ryan Crespi with a single to left center.

Dayton broke through in the bottom of the sixth as Galen Schumm led off with a double and scored on Craigh Rohren's two-out single up the middle. A leadoff home run by Frank Tedesco in the seventh narrowed the gap to 4-2, but Crespi made it a three-run game again with an RBI single in the eighth.

Bird turned the game over to Brock Hewitt in the eighth, an the junior right-hander saw the first hitter he faced, Bryan Chandler put a home run over the wall in right center. SLU loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, looking to regain a more comfortable cushion, but a double play ball ended the threat. Bobby Getty pulled the Flyers within a run with a one-out double in the bottom of the ninth as the Billikens turned to Rodrigue to replace Hewitt. Coming to the mound from third base, Rodrigue issued an intentional walk to set up the double play, but he then walked Chandler to load the bases and saw the tying run score when he hit William Benoit with a pitch. The sophomore rallied to induce a pop-up and record a strikeout to leave the bases loaded.

The Billikens went down in order in the 10th, and Rorigue opened the home half of the inning with a walk and a single. After a fielder's choice left runners on the corners with just one out, the Billikens again issued an intentional walk to load the bases. Eric Mueller came in from the bullpen, facing just one hitter as Chandler delivered a single back to the mound with just enough to plate the winning run from third.

Sever improved to 6-3 on the season with the win in game one, his third complete-game effort of the season. Rodrigue was saddled with the loss in game one, dropping his record to 3-3. With three hits in game one and a double in game two, Sweeney extended his hitting streak to a career-best 11 games. Casey Moore and Landed each added a pair of hits in game two.

The two teams play the final game of the regular season at 11 a.m. (CT) on Sat., May 20.