Feb. 24, 2008
Box Score
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Saint Louis fell 7-2 in the rubber game of a three-game series at Belmont this afternoon at Greer Stadium. SLU (1-2) right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo. / Lindbergh) allowed two runs on five hits in six innings, but the bullpen yielded five runs on six hits in the next two to help Belmont (2-1) secure the win.
Outman was effective on the hill in his first start in a Billiken uniform. The St. Louis Community College-Forest Park transfer did not allow a hit until the third inning and kept Belmont off the board until the fourth. Nate Woods singled home Carlo Testa, who previously reached on a single, to put the Bruins up 1-0 through four.
With Outman keeping the Billikens in the game, the SLU offense responded with a pair of runs in the sixth. Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo. / Wentzville Holt) and sophomore left fielder Casey Moore with a single. Then, junior first baseman Ryan Johnson (Creve Couer, Mo. / SLUH) stroked an RBI single to right to plate Blackwell and put the Billikens up 2-1.
Belmont would answer in the bottom half of the inning. Testa cracked a lead-off double off Outman, then came around to score on a Brandon McCall single. Outman, who was pitching in his final inning, would get Woods to ground into a double play and erase McCall on the base paths and prevent further damage.
The bullpen was called upon three times in the bottom of the seventh, and a bases-loaded triple by Testa to make it 5-2 broke the game open for Belmont. The Bruins would then add a pair of insurance runs in the eighth on RBIs from Mark Noth and Derek Hamblen.
Meanwhile, the SLU offense was shut down after it plated its two runs on four hits in the sixth inning. Nick Whitaker and Dane Swinhart combined to retire the Bills in order the final three innings to seal the series win for Belmont.
Outman struck out four batters and walked two in the no decision. Senior reliever B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La. / Brother Martin) was tagged with the loss after allowing two runs in 2/3 inning of work. Blackwell mustered two hits for the Bills, with J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn. / Centennial) also claiming one of SLU's seven hits on the afternoon.
Following an exhibition game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., on Wednesday, the Billikens travel to Birmingham, Ala., for a three-game series at Samford beginning Friday.
