Feb. 22, 2008
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Saint Louis dropped its baseball opener 4-3 this afternoon against Belmont at Greer Stadium. The Billikens, playing in their first game of the season and first under new head coach J.D. Dunn and a solid start from junior right-hander Dave Sever, but they were unable to come out ahead in the see-saw battle.
The Billikens (0-1) twice rallied from one-run deficits, but an RBI double by the Bruins' Brandon McCall in the bottom of the seventh broke a 3-3 stalemate and lifted Belmont (1-0) to the win.
Sever yielded a lead-off home run to Belmont pitcher Carlo Testa, but settled down and held the Bruins scoreless until the fifth inning. In the bottom of the first, he got out of a jam after picking off a runner at first on a fake-to-third, fake-to first move, then worked around a dangerous second inning when Belmont managed to get two runners on with only one out. The Bruins were retired in order in the third, then Sever got Testa to pop out to shortstop with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth.
Meanwhile, the Billikens jumped on the board in the top of the third. With one down, David Blackwell singled to left center. Sophomore Andrew Guerra doubled home Blackwell to tie things up at 1-1. It was the first collegiate hit for Guerra, who spent two seasons at Rice but did not see any at-bats.
Saint Louis took the lead in the top half of the fifth inning. Senior catcher Casey Moore led off the inning with a single, then later stole second. With two outs, Dunn ripped a Testa pitch to right center that plated Moore and put the Billikens up 2-1.
However, Belmont would get that run back in bottom half of the inning on a solo home run by Derek Wiley. Later, the Bruins took the lead in the sixth when Vinny Casha scored on a Derek Hamblein RBI groundout.
The Billikens rallied once again to tie the score in the top of the seventh. Blackwell led off with at triple and scored his second run of the game when Dunn grounded out. The 3-3 tie was short-lived, however, as reliever Ziggy Moore yielded a single to set up McCall's eventual game-winning RBI double in the seventh.
Despite the loss, Ziggy Moore pitched an effective two innings, allowing just the one run on two hits while striking out three. Sever allowed three runs in six inning of work on six hits while striking out four in the no decision. Logan Stanley, one of four relievers used by Belmont on the afternoon, got the win after an inning of scoreless relief.
Dunn's three hits are a career high, and his two RBIs tie his career best. Blackwell ended up with a career-high two hits and two runs scored. Greg Rodgers and Tom Pinnell had the other base knocks for the Billikens, who out-hit the Bruins 8-7. The defense committed no errors on the afternoon after ending last season with at least one error in 15 of their last 16 games.
The two teams are back at it on Saturday for the second game of the three-game series. First pitch at Greer Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
