May 12, 2007

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - In a marathon, four-plus hour game that saw hits aplenty but runs at a premium, Saint Louis outlasted Massachusetts 4-2 in 15 innings this afternoon at Earl Lorden Field. After the Minutemen tied the game a 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Ryan Crespi capped a three-hit day with a one-out double to plate J.D. Dunn from second in the 15th inning. Senior Brock Hewitt collected his first win of the season with six innings of three-hit relief, including four strikeouts. The Billikens' longest game of the season fell one inning short of the school-record 16-inning affair against Missouri Baptist on April 7, 1994.

The Minutemen ended the shutout in the bottom of the second, taking advantage of starter Eric Rohr's rare control problems. The senior right-hander issued a walk to Bill Rankin to open the innings. Rankin was erased on a fielder's choice, and Rohr induced another ground ball from Andy Tuetken but an error left both men on base with just one out. Rohr then hit Brian Baudinet to load the bases. Travis Munsey picked up the RBI with a sacrifice fly to left before Rohr wrapped up the inning.

UMass starter Jared Freni also struggled with control early on, although the Billikens could not take advantage of the extra base runners. Blake Bratcher was hit by a pitch but left stranded in the first inning. Greg Rodgers drew a leadoff walk in the second before being left on second base. A single and walk in the top of the third failed to produce the tying run as well. B.J. Rodrigue and Rodgers drew back-to-back walks to open the fourth before Freni retired the next three hitters to preserve his lead.

The Billikens finally broke through in the fifth when Crespi worked a walk to lead off the inning and send the Minutemen to the bullpen for Mitchell Ellenberg. Tom Pinnell's single to left center moved Crespi into scoring position at second. Rodrigue delivered a two0out double to left to put the Bills in front 2-1.

After Rohr rolled through the bottom of the fifth, SLU looked for some insurance in the top of the sixth. Ziggy Moore slid a two-out single through the left side. A walk to Crespi and a hit batter loaded the bases before Ellenberg held the deficit to one run with a ground ball back to the mound.

Rohr worked around a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth and retired the Minutemen in order in the bottom of the seventh before turning the game over to Dan Cowsert in the bottom of the eighth. The Billiken right-hander rolled through that first inning but saw Rankin lead off the ninth with a single to right. A sacrifice moved him to second, and Cowsert got Tuetken to pop up to first for the second out. Down to the game's final out, Mike Donato was the hero for UMass with a single to left, plating Rankin to tie things up at 2-2.

In the first two extra frames, each team managed a base runner but could not surge ahead. Hewitt was sharp in the 12th and 13th frames, retiring the Minutemen in order. UMass opened the 14th with a Rankin double to left center, the lone extra-base hit of the day for the Minutemen, but solid defense retired the lead runner on Frank McPherson's ground ball. Hewitt retired the next two hitters to send the game to the 15th inning.

Facing the fifth Minuteman pitcher of the afternoon, Dunn drove a single sent a single up the middle to lead off the inning and moved to second on Moore's sacrifice bunt. Rory McDonald had Crespi down in the count with a ball and two strikes before the Billiken center fielder drove a double to right center, plating the speedy Dunn from second for a 3-2 lead. McDonald got Pinnell to ground out for the second out but walked Blake Bratcher provided a cushion with his RBI single to right center before McDonald got out of the inning.

Hewitt's fourth strikeout of the game opened the bottom of the frame, and a ground ball to first brought the Billikens within one out of victory. Ryan Franczek postponed the celebration with an infield single, but Hewitt got Adam Tempesta to fly out to right field to wrap up the win.

The Billikens improve to 14-35 on the season and 10-12 in the A-10 with the victory after out-hitting the Minutemen 15-7. UMass falls to 19-23 overall and 11-12 in league play. Crespi and Ziggy Moore led all hitters with three hits apiece, while Rodrigue's two RBI were a game-high as well.

The teams will decide the winner of the series on Sun., May 13, at 11 a.m. (CT).