March 27, 2007

Box Score

CHARLESTON, Ill. - Four errors and 10 walks proved costly as Saint Louis dropped a 9-1 decision at Eastern Illinois this afternoon. The Panthers (8-11) took advantage of fielding miscues to tally six unearned runs, while the Billikens (5-20, 1-2 A-10) plated just one run on six hits against three different EIU pitchers. Sophomore Tom Pinnell picked up the lone RBI on a 2-for-4 afternoon.

With junior Blake Bratcher making his pitching debut, the defense put him in an early hole with an error on the leadoff hitter. A pair of walks and another error worked with a pair of Panther singles to give EIU an early 4-0 lead. Bratcher walked three more hitters in the bottom of the second before turning the mound over to Dan Cowsert, who left a pair of runners stranded.

The Billikens threatened in the fourth inning when Ryan Bennett led off with a single through the left side. Greg Rodgers drove a single to center to put Bennett in scoring position with one out, but back-to-back ground balls got EIU starter Chris Vaculik out of the inning.

Eastern Illinois plated another run in the bottom of the fourth on three singles to left field. In the top of the fifth, Pinnell's two-out double down the left field line plated the Billikens' first run of the game as J.D. Dunn came around to score after being walked. The Panthers tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the sixth on two hits and two errors.

Vaculik picked up the win for EIU, improved to 1-4 on the season as he gave up just three hits and struck out three in four innings. Bratcher fell to 0-1 in his first career decision, allowing four runs, one earned, on two hits in 1-2/3 innings. EIU's Jordan Kreke recorded a game-high three hits, while Pinnell and Bennett led the Billikens with two hits apiece.

The Billikens (5-20, 1-2 A-10) heads to Missouri State for a 7 p.m. game on Wed., March 28, before hosting Xavier in a three-game A-10 series this weekend.