Feb. 24, 2007
Box Score
PEKIN, Ill. - Just a few hours after dominating pitching helped the Saint Louis softball team earn its first win of the year, it was the offense that paced the Billikens to a 9-1 triumph in six innings over IUPUI on Saturday in their second game at the Bradley-Schutt Showcase. SLU used a four-run first inning and got a quality start from pitcher Lorena Floccari to win its second straight and improve to 2-7 on the season.
After Floccari retired the side in the top of the first, the Billiken offense went to work and scored early and often. Freshman Rachel O'Connell reached on a leadoff single, then stole second. She advanced to third on a Brittney Schmidt single, then came around to score on freshman Nicki Jost's base-knock up the middle.
Freshman Annie Dillinger continued the inning after putting a ball in play that scored Jost, and Floccari helped her own cause with an RBI to make it 3-0. Junior Jody Herbert drew a bases loaded walk to make it 4-0, a lead the Billikens wouldn't relinquish.
The Billikens scored two more times in the third. Dillinger led off with a single, then stole second. After Floccari walked, Herbert advanced both base runner into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt, and the tactic worked. Freshman Shana Richard delivered her first career RBI with a single up the middle to score Dillinger. After a pitching change, Schmidt brought home Floccari when she poked a single through the right side.
IUPUI (0-2) jumped into the scoring column with an unearned run in fourth, but SLU answered with two tallies in the fifth. O'Connell walked, and later came around to score on an RBI single by senior Christy Ernst. Continuing their aggressiveness on the base paths, Ernst came around to score on an IUPUI error after a double steal to make it 8-1 Billikens.
SLU clinched the game via the eight-run rule in the bottom of the sixth. Dillinger corked another leadoff single, then came around to score on a Herbert single, her second RBI of the game.
Floccari allowed six hits and struck out four in the complete game, her best performance of the season to this point.
All nine batters in the lineup either scored or posted a hit, as SLU totaled a season-high nine runs and cranked 10 hits.
In addition, the Billikens broke the school record with six stolen bases in the contest. The previous mark was five, which was accomplished four times, most recently in 2004.
SLU returns to action tomorrow with a noon contest against Northern Iowa. The Billikens wrap up the Bradley-Schutt Showcase against host Bradley at 4 p.m.
