March 31, 2007
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis got five hits from senior Jill Pursell and quality work from pitchers Ashley Levan and Lorena Floccari as the Billikens rolled to a doubleheader sweep against St. Bonaventure today at The Billiken Sports Center. In game one, the Billikens slugged nine hits in five innings en route to a 10-2 victory. Game two came down to a pitchers' duel, and it was Floccari who came out on top thanks to freshman Nicki Jost's game-sealing single in the bottom of the seventh to deliver a 2-1 win.
The victories even SLU's record at 17-17 and vault the Bills to a 4-0 record in Atlantic 10 Conference play. Following an 0-7 start, Saint Louis has played to a 17-10 record and has outscored its opponents 132-96 in that timespan.
Game one got off to an inauspicious start as St. Bona (7-10, 0-2 A-10) pushed across a pair of runs early. Anna Nagro doubled to right center off of Levan, then advanced to third on Kirstin Strong's infield single. Strong stole second to put two runners in scoring position for Caitlin Grattan, then it got wild.
Grattan stroked a single to right field, and SLU's Brittney Schmidt came up gunning in an attempt to throw home. The incoming heave bounced off the head of infielder Christy Ernst, the start of a string of errors that allowed both runners to score and Grattan to advance all the way to third. Further damage was eliminated, however, when SLU shortstop Rachel Heet hustled down Grattan attempting to steal home after a failed suicide squeeze.
SLU quickly got those two runs back, and then some. With one out, freshman Brittney Schmidt laid down a perfect bunt, but an ill-timed throw from the SBU first baseman sailed wide allowing Kelley to scamper home to cut the Bonnies lead to 2-1. Senior Rachel Heet delivered a bases-clearing triple to vault the Bills to a 5-2 lead. Jost drove in Heet with a single, and Jost trotted home on SBU's third error of the inning to cap a seven-run frame for the Billikens.
After tacking on another run in the third to make it 8-2, the Billikens clinched it in the bottom of the fifth. O'Connell singled through the right side, then advanced to second on Schmidt's fielder's choice. Appenfeller walked to load the bases, and Pursell came through with a game-ending, two-run double to give the Bills the 10-2 victory.
Levan moves to 8-3 after five innings of three-hit ball. She retired the Bonnies in order in every inning but the second. In addition, she mustered a three-pitch, three-out frame in the top of the fourth.
In a slower-paced second game, both pitchers worked around early errors as the game was scoreless through two. The Bonnies' best chance to score came in the top of the second. With a runner on second and one out, Ashley Kotz lined a shot that looked to be headed to right field, but a leaping Ernst snatched it for the second out, and Floccari got out of the jam after popping up the ensuing batter.
Once again, the Bonnies managed to capitalize first. Amanda Kotz, who reached on an error, trotted home on Anna Nagro's shallow sacrifice fly to right to make it 1-0 SBU.
After stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, SLU plated the equalizer in the top of the fourth despite not registering a hit. Senior Jenna Renner reached when her grounder snuck under the second baseman's glove, then advanced to second on O'Connell's sacrifice bunt and to third on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Shana Richard stroked a ball that was fielded cleanly by the shortstop, who then checked the runner back to third, but her throw pulled first baseman Patricia McKeon off the bag. An alert Richard then raced toward an empty second base, and Renner scored the tying run after an errant throw by McKeon.
With the score knotted 1-1, the Billiken defense had to be sharp in the top of the seventh. Strong sent a missile to left field that was snagged by a stretched-out Pursell. Grattan lined a shot to short, but Heet grabbed the hot-shot from her knees. Floccari took care of the next batter, freezing Ashley Kotz for the third strike to set up SLU's seventh-inning heroics.
Schmidt led off with a bunt single, then advanced to third when Jill Pursell ripped a double to the left centerfield fence. Schmidt tried to score on a Heet groundout, but she was called out on the play to bring up Jost. With Pursell standing on third as the winning run, Jost crushed a ball to right field for the game-winner, capping the doubleheader sweep and handing Floccari her sixth win of the season.
Pursell went 5-for-7 with three RBIs and two runs scored in twinbill. Heet managed three hits on the day, and Schmidt and Jost each posted a pair of base knocks.
The Billikens begin a six-game road trip on Wednesday when they travel to Martin, Tenn., for a 2 p.m. doubleheader with UT Martin. SLU then heads East for a weekend series at Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
