March 11, 2009
Box Score
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University junior right-hander Zach Outman fanned a career-high nine batters and Jon Myers went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored as the Billikens rolled to a 7-2 win against Northern Illinois Wednesday at The Billiken Sports Center. Zach Miller led the Billikens with three RBIs.
The Billikens (9-4) have now won five straight and seven of their last eight. SLU is off to its best start through 13 games since 1977. Northern Illinois, which dropped a 13-2 decision to the Billikens yesterday, dips to 4-9 on the season.
Outman scattered just four hits over six innings and allowed one unearned run in picking up his first win of the season. He had plenty of run support as the Billikens put four runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first, all with two outs.
Junior center fielder J.D. Dunn drew a one-out walk and stole second. Then with two down, junior catcher Ben Braaten and junior right fielder Andrew Guerra also drew walks to load the bases. SLU posted its first run of the game when Dunn scored on a passed ball. Myers then registered an infield single to plate Braaten and put SLU on top 2-0.
Miller contributed to the cause when he poked a base hit through the left side to drive in Guerra and Myers to make it 4-0 SLU after the first inning.
After Outman struck out the side in the top of the second inning, SLU plated a run in the bottom half of the frame. Senior shortstop Ryan Bennett walked, then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He raced home on a Braaten RBI groundout to give SLU a 5-0 lead through two.
That remained the score until the fifth inning when the Huskies plated an unearned run. Troy White starting the frame with a single, and advanced to second on a Jake Hermson sacrifice bunt. After advancing to third on a passed ball, he came in to score on a Marvin Sanchez sacrifice fly to make it 5-1.
However, the Billikens would get that run back and another in the bottom of the fifth. Myers singled up the middle, and freshman third baseman Jerry Mancuso ripped a hard liner that was deflected off the second baseman's glove and eventually went for a double, moving Myers to third. Miller then put a ball in play where Mancuso was out at third, but not before Myers trotted home to make it 6-1 SLU. After Miller wound up on third thanks to a stolen base and a Cody Cotter single, Bennett drove Miller home with a groundout to make it 7-1 Billikens.
SLU went to the bullpen to start the seventh, and sophomore Andrew Buckham sat down the three batters he faced. In the eighth, Mancuso moved from third base to the mound and yielded one run on two hits before senior Chaz Salembier faced the minimum in the ninth inning to secure the victory.
The Billikens continue their home stand this weekend when Murray State comes to town for a three-game set beginning Friday at a new start-time of 4 p.m. Game two of the series is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, while the series finale is slated for noon Sunday.
