March 25, 2007

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis senior right-hander Eric Rohr and junior first baseman B.J. Rodrigue provided late-inning heroics as the Billikens scored six unanswered runs for a ninth-inning 6-5 victory over Charlotte this afternoon at The Billiken Sports Center. Rohr threw four innings of one-hit relief to hold the 49ers scoreless for their longest stretch of the weekend, while Rodrigue provided a two-out single to center to plate the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to cap his career-high three-RBI afternoon.

For the third time in the series, the 49ers jumped out to an early lead, sending three runs across on five hits in the first inning on SLU starter Ryan Bird. An error in the top of the third allowed the 49ers to push it to a 4-0 lead, and Brad McElroy made it 5-0 with an RBI ground out in the top of the fifth.

After the Billikens had chipped away at Charlotte starter Zach Rosenbaum in the bottom of the fourth, they finally broke through in the fifth, helped by a pair of hit batters. J.D. Dunn was hit to lead off the inning and moved to third on Tom Pinnell's single through the left side. Gilbert Marlowe was hit for the second-straight time to load the bases, and Casey Moore drove in the first run of the game with a single through the left side. The 49ers went to the bullpen for Matt Foard, who retired the next two hitters. Rodrigue stepped up with the bases still loaded and roped a single to left, bringing both Pinnell and Marlowe home and cutting the 49er lead to 5-3.

Back in the game, the Billikens turned to Rohr, who was coming off a complete-game shutout Tuesday afternoon. The senior sat down the side in order, including a pair of strike outs on called strike three. The Billiken bates went right back to work in the bottom of the inning with Dunn slapping a single to left and Pinnell driving one through the left side. After Foard recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning, Moore ripped a double down the left field line that sent the two runners racing for home. Dunn scored from second with Pinnell close on his heels as O'Brien Taylor rifled the throw in from left. The Billiken second baseman executed the perfect slide wide to the right of Kris Rochelle at the plate as the ball arrived, and Pinnell snuck his hand in just before Rochelle got the tag down to tie the game at 5-5.

Rohr gave up the lone hit of his four innings in the top of the seventh on Rochelle's two-out single up the middle, but another strikeout ended the threat. The Billikens got the leadoff hitter, L.J. Watson, on in the bottom of the eighth, and he moved to second on a sacrifice, forcing the 49ers back to the bullpen for B.J. Hagen. The right-hander left Watson stranded, though.

The 49ers again went down in order in the top of the ninth, including Rohr's fifth strikeout of the afternoon. In the bottom of the inning Greg Rodgers got the rally started with a one-out single to center. Pinch runner David Blackwell was erased on Bill Musselman's ground ball, however. The Billiken catcher put himself in scoring position with a stolen base to set up Rodrigue's game-winning single.

Rohr improved to 2-2 on the season in picking up his second win of the week, while Hagen fell to 1-1 on the season. Moore matched Rodrigue's three RBI for game-high honors, while Charlotte's Kris Rochelle led all hitters with a 3-for-4 afternoon.

The Billikens (5-19, 1-2 A-10) play a pair of non-conference road games this week before hosting Xavier in a three-game A-10 series this weekend. SLU travels to Eastern Illinois for a 2 p.m. game on Tue., March 27, to open the week.