March 22, 2008

Game One
Game Two

ST. LOUIS - Rachel Heet hit a three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to propel Saint Louis to a 4-3 victory over George Washington in its Atlantic 10 Conference opener on Saturday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center. Then Caitlin Trevillyan's second home run of the nearly three-hour long nightcap, a two-out walk-off shot to center field in the bottom of the 11th, brought in three runs for the 9-7 win. The sweep marks the second straight time the Bills have opened the A-10 slate with a 2-0 record.

George Washington (5-10, 1-2 A-10) wasted little time getting on the board in the opening game as it plated a run in the top of the first. With one out, Carrie Higdon lined a double into the gap in left center. She eventually crossed on a Billiken error.

The Bills (11-15, 2-0 A-10) knotted the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second. Nicki Jost reached on a GW fielding error to start the frame and promptly stole second base. After advancing to third on a sac bunt by Katie Johns, Jost scored on a ground out by Allison Hopke.

Chrysanthi Halkiotis doubled to left center to start the Colonials' sixth-inning rally. After advancing to third on a sac bunt, Halkiotis scored on a Katie Terrazas sac fly to center field for the second out. Then Yaniga singled to center field and scored on Tori Sensi's double to the gap in right center for a 3-1 edge.

In the bottom of the seventh, Brittney Schmidt hit a two-out single through the left side to get the SLU rally started. Then Trevillyan singled down the left-field line, and Kristin Nicoletti reached on a throwing error. Heet followed with a double to left field to clear the bases for the come-from-behind victory.

Erin Kelly picked up the win after tossing two innings of relief. She gave up two hits and a run while striking out one. Offensively, Heet led the Bills with three hits, including two doubles, and three

SLU ran out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the nightcap. With one out, Nicoletti reached on a bunt single and stole second on the same play. Heet, the ensuing batter, drove her in with a single to center field.

GW battled back to tie things up with a solo home run from Elisa Van Kirk in the second. But Trevillyan put SLU back out in front with a solo home run of her own in the bottom of the fifth.

However, the lead was short-lived as the Colonials plated a run in the sixth to once again tie the score at 2-2. After the leadoff batter reached on a SLU error, Yaniga doubled to right center to put a pair of runners in scoring position. The Bills turned a double play to get the batter out at first and the runner trying to score while Yaniga advanced to third. But Van Kirk singled to left field to bring home Yaniga for the tie in the next at bat.

With the score tied at 2-2 through nine full innings, GW broke out for three runs in the top of the 10th. Van Kirk hit her second round-tripper of the game, a three-run shot to left center, to put the Colonials up 5-2.

Rachel O'Connell and Schmidt hit back-to-back singles to begin SLU's half of the 10th. Then Nicoletti reached safely when the center fielder dropped her pop fly but Schmidt was forced out at second for the second out. Heet followed with her first homer of the season, a three-run bomb to center field, to clear the bases and knot the score at 5-5.

With fatigue setting in, the Colonials took advantage with consecutive solo home runs to begin the 11th. But reliever Lorena Floccari got three straight outs to escape the inning with the Bills down by two.

Errors sandwiched around a walk to start the bottom of the 11th gave SLU a bases-loaded situation with no outs. Gabriel, who pitched both games in entirety for GW, got a force at the plate and a strikeout to minimize the threat. But a wild pitch allowed Hopke to cross and cut the margin to one. Then Trevillyan's second homer of the game, which tied the school record for round-trippers in one game, gave the Bills the 9-7 victory.

Floccari, SLU's third pitcher of the game, earned the win after tossing an inning of relief. She gave up a hit and a run while striking out one. Offensively, SLU had six players with two hits apiece while Heet and Trevillyan led the charge with four RBIs each. The four RBIs in a game ties the school record. In the nightcap, Jost also tied the school record for stolen bases in a game with three.