March 9, 2008
Box Score
HUNTSVILLE, Texas - Saint Louis was defeated 20-4 by South Dakota State Sunday on the final day of the Hillcrest Ford Bearkat Classic at Sam Houston State. The Billikens (2-7) plated a pair of runs in the first to take an early lead, but South Dakota State used an 11-run eighth inning to seal the victory.
The Billikens got off to a good start, as right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill. / Benet) worked around a leadoff singe and a walk to get out of a jam in the top of the first. In the bottom half of the inning, sophomore center fielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn. / Centennial) leadoff with a single, and eventually ended up on third after a pair of wild pitches. Junior third baseman Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill. / Edwardsville), hitting in the two-hole, lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Dunn and put the Bills on top early.
Saint Louis was not done. Senior first baseman Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo. / St. Charles CC) drew a walk, then with two outs stole second. Sophomore right fielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio / Stow Munroe Falls) drove home Rodgers with a single up the gut, putting the Bills one top 2-0 after one inning of play.
Sever struck out the side in the second, but allowed an RBI single to Craig Parry in the third and a solo home run to Max Fenski as the Broncs (4-6) tied it up at 2-2 through three-and-a-half innings.
The Billikens re-gained the lead in the bottom half of the fourth. Sophomore second baseman Andrew Guerra (Dallas, Texas / Rice) led off the inning with a double, then advanced to third on senior designated hitter B.J. Rodrigue's (Destrehan, La. / Brother Martin) fly out. Senior catcher Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo. / Holt) put the Billikens back on top when he drove in Guerra with a single.
However, South Dakota State answered with four runs in the top of the fifth - three of them off Sever - to take a 6-3. But again, the Billikens continued to battle and got one of those runs back in the bottom of the inning when Parson stroked another RBI single to plate Pinnell.
Sever was chased from the game in the top of the sixth after yielding a double and a triple to start the game. Rodrigue, who came in as a reliever, was charged with one run in the frame.
Junior Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo. / Holt) pitched a scoreless seventh inning for SLU, then South Dakota State scored 11 runs on five hits off of three different pitchers in the eighth to take command. Junior Chaz Salembier (Brentwood, Mo. / Ithaca) walked three and allowed a single, and junior Mark Zielinski (Maryland Heights, Mo. / DeSmet) allowed a hit and hit a batter. Freshman left-hander Joe Baumgartner eventually got the Bills out of the inning, but not before the Broncs scored five more times for the final 20-4 margin.
The Billikens return to action on Tuesday when they travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo., to face in-state rival Southeast Missouri State. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Capaha Park.
