May 25, 2006

Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. - A two-out ninth-inning single from B.J. Rodrigue lifted Saint Louis to a 3-2 victory over top-seeded Rhode Island in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at Jack Coffey Field. The outing delivered the school-record tying 30th win of the season for SLU as Dave Sever out-dueled URI starter Steve Holmes with the complete-game victory.

The Billikens opened their second tournament game just like they did the first, with a Dave Sever walked leadoff hitter Daryl Holcomb and saw him get to third on a Wayne Russo single to shallow right field. Scott Brown picked up the RBI on a ground out to second before Sever rallied to end the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

A leadoff walk in the bottom of the second also came back to hurt Sever when Mike O'Malley and Dave Savard hit back-to-back singles to give the Rams a 2-1 lead. SLU battled back in the top of the fourth when Bill Musselman led off with a single to left center and stole second. Gilbert Marlowe fell behind in the count before rifling a single through the right side to plate Musselman for a 2-2 tie.

For the second time in as many games, pitching dominated the middle of the contest. While Sever issued a series of walks, the Billikens avoided trouble with timely defense and help from the Rams, who continued to swing at Sever's first pitches. As the innings drifted by, the game would come down to the pitcher who made the first mistake.

The miscue for Holmes came in the form of a two-out walk issued to Marlowe in the top of the ninth. After he hit Tim Landy with the first pitch, he had Rodrigue down in the count before the Billiken third baseman roped a single through the left side. As Marlowe raced for home, the throw came in up the third base line. The junior swung wide on his dive for the plate and just eluded URI catcher Zach Zalenski to grab the plate and put the Bills up 3-2.

In the bottom of the frame, Sever got O'Malley to foul out to deep right, where Ryan Crespi tracked down the first out. Savard dropped a single into center field, but was doubled-up when Holcomb lined out to Ziggy Moore at short and rifled a throw that beat Holcomb back to first.

Sever improved to 7-3 on the season as he allowed two runs on seven hits in his fourth complete game of the season. Holmes suffered just his second loss of the year, giving up three runs on six hits and recording six strikeouts. The Billikens stole a season-high three bases, and Sweeney's single in the first inning extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Saint Louis plays at 11 a.m. (CT) on Fri., May 26, against the winner of the St. Bonaventure/Dayton game.