March 29, 2008
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis and Fordham split an Atlantic 10 Conference baseball doubleheader today at The Billiken Sports Center. After dropping the first game 7-6, the Billikens bounced back to post a 9-3 decision in the nightcap. SLU right-hander Zach Outman (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh) went eight innings in the second game to pick up his second win of the season.
The Billikens move to 11-12 overall and 2-4 in the A-10, while Fordham is now 13-10 and 2-4 in the league. The teams were originally scheduled to play just one game today, but the coaches decided to play two due to the possibility of inclement weather in the St. Louis area on Sunday. Therefore, there will be no baseball game tomorrow at The BSC.
In the second game, the Billikens took advantage of walks to post an early 4-0 lead. J.D. Dunn started the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ramee Yacoub then lined a shot right back at the pitcher who snagged the ball out of mid-air, but threw the ball away trying to catch Dunn racing back to the third-base bag. Dunn easily trotted home to put the Billikens up 1-0 through one.
In the second, Fordham starter Jake Rabinowitz allowed a single and two walks to bring up Dunn with the bases loaded. He walked, as did the next batter Yacoub with the bases loaded, to put the Bills up 3-0. The Billikens made it 4-0 when Ziggy Moore trotted home on a wild pitch.
Meanwhile, Outman was effective on the hill for SLU. He retired the side in the third, faced the minimum in the fourth and got a one-two-three inning in the fifth.
The Billikens put three more runs on the board in the fifth thanks to a two-run double by Dunn. Also, Yacoub got an RBI on an infield single to put SLU on top 7-0 through five.
Fordham plated its first two runs of the game in the sixth, and SLU kept pace with a pair of runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Yacoub and Tom Pinnell.
Fordham's Angelo Ponte lifted a sacrifice fly in the ninth to make it 9-3, but that is as close as the Rams would get. Outman ended up going eight innings, allowing two runs on eight hits. He struck out five and walked none. Rabinowitz was tagged with the loss for Fordham after 2-2/3 innings. He walked eight batters in the game as the Rams' pitching staff totaled 12 free passes in the nightcap.
Offensively for SLU, Yacoub went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Dunn had three RBIs with a hit and a run scored.
The Billikens took an early lead in game one when Dunn, who led off the first with a single, scored on a throwing error by the catcher.
Fordham answered in the third when Rich Goulian slapped a single through the right side. The back-and-forth action continued in the bottom of the third, when Greg Rodgers and Mike Beal both drew two-out walks. Pinnell then drove a single to right field to plate Rodgers and put the Billikens up 2-1.
However, the Rams plated one run in both the fourth and fifth innings. Chris Kaible led off the fourth with an opposite-field home run, and in the fifth Eric Reese drove home a run on a fielder's choice.
After Fordham went up 6-2 with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth, the Billikens plated four runs in the bottom of the eighth to tie it up. B.J. Rodrigue led off the inning with a walk, and Casey Moore followed suit with a free pass of his own. Ryan Johnson singled to load the bases, and Andrew Guerra was credited with an RBI when he drew a walk.
Mike Beal tied the score at 6-6 on a double down the right-field line, which plated Guerra.
However, the Rams pushed across a run in the top of the ninth on an RBI double by Kaible. In the bottom of the ninth, Kaible, who was also pitching, worked around a leadoff walk to preserve the win for the Rams.
SLU starter Dave Sever pitched 7-2/3 innings and allowed four earned runs on 10 hits. He struck out four and walked three. Beal had a team-high two hits. As a team, the Billikens drew 11 walks in the game.
The Billikens are back it on Tuesday when they host Indiana State at The Billiken Sports Center. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
