March 22, 2008
Season Stats
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte's Shayne Moody stroked a bases-loaded double in the top of the 10th to lift the 49ers to a 10-9 victory over Saint Louis at Robert and Mariam Hayes Stadium this afternoon. The Billikens got a two-run home run from sophomore Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) in the top-half of the inning, but the Niners managed to push across three runs in their half to seal their second win against the Bills in as many days.
The Billikens (8-10, 0-2 Atlantic 10) clubbed a season-high 15 hits, including three from senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Holt) who also had three RBIs. Charlotte has won five straight and improve to 16-2 overall and 2-0 in the league.
With the score tied at 7-7 in the 10th inning, SLU went to work. Moore reached on a one-out base hit. Outman then smashed his first-career home run on an 0-2 pitch that cleared the left-field fence. However, Charlotte took advantage of a pair of walks and a hit batter to set up Moody's 10th-inning heroics.
For the second day in a row, Saint Louis jumped on top early thanks to a multiple-run first inning. Senior Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./Francis Howell) got things started with a two-out walk, and advanced to second when SLU leading hitter Mike Beal (St. Louis, Mo./SLUH) sent a single into left-center field. The bases were loaded after sophomore Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas/Rice) walked, and Moore converted when he drove the second pitch he saw down the left-field line for a two-run double. On the play, the Charlotte left fielder committed an error that allowed Guerra to score to make it 3-0 Billikens through one.
The Niners cut into that lead with a tally in the second. Alan Parks drew a leadoff walk, and advanced to second on an Alex Burt groundout. Rob Lyerly then ripped a Scott Turmail (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) pitch down the right-field line to plate Parks and trim SLU's lead to 3-1.
A pair of singles from Rodgers and Beal in the third set up another scoring situation for SLU. With one down, Guerra doubled down the line in left to plate Rodgers and put the Billikens up 4-1. Turmail and Charlotte starter Andrew Smith would then settle down and not allow a run until the Niners' Chris Taylor hit a solo homer to left in the sixth.
Sitting with a 4-3 lead entering the seventh, the Billikens gave themselves some breathing room when they pushed across three runs in the frame, again doing their damage with two outs. Beal walked, and advanced to third on an error by the right fielder on a ball off the bat of Guerra. Moore then plated Beal on a single through the left side. Freshman Ramee Yacoub (Oakland, N.J./Indian Hills) drove in Guerra and Moore on a pinch-hit double to deep right field to make it 7-3 Billikens.
After Turmail retired the Niners in order in the seventh, he ran into some trouble to start the eighth. Charlotte's first two hitters reached on singles, and Brad McElroy drove in both those runners with a double. Junior Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Holt) came in from the bullpen and yielded a two-run homer to Taylor to knot the game at 7-7. Ziggy Moore did get the Bills out of the inning with no further damage, and pitched a scoreless ninth as well to set up extra innings.
The teams return tomorrow for the final game of the series at Robert and Miriam Stadium. Easter Sunday's first pitch is slated for 11 a.m. (CT).
