April 18, 2009
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
DAYTON, Ohio - Saint Louis dropped a pair of Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tilts Saturday at Dayton's Time Warner Cable Stadium. SLU fell 25-9 in game one, and Dayton picked up a 7-3 win in the nightcap to complete a three-game series sweep of the Billikens.
The loss dips SLU to 20-19 on the season and 6-8 in the Atlantic 10. Dayton's two victories move the Flyers into second place in the A-10 with an 11-4 conference mark and an overall record of 24-14.
SLU and Dayton were originally scheduled to play the third and final game of the series tomorrow, but due to the forecast of rain Sunday in Dayton, the two teams opted to play a doubleheader today.
In game one, Dayton jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead and never looked back en route to the lopsided win. The Flyers pushed across four more in the second, one in the third and six in both the fourth and fifth innings, posting 20 runs and 20 hits through the first five innings.
The Billikens managed to post a good amount of runs as well in game one, but were unable to come close to the lead due to a Dayton offensive barrage that included seven home runs. SLU scored a pair of runs in the second inning on an error, and junior catcher Ben Braaten drove in a runner with a sacrifice fly in the third.
In the fourth inning, SLU scored three times. Junior center fielder J.D. Dunn lifted a solo home run to left center. Sophomore left fielder Tom Pinnell's base knock. Freshman third baseman Zach Miller registered a sacrifice fly to center for another run.
Sophomore second baseman Lucas Calderon belted his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning, and junior first baseman Danny Brock smacked a two-run single in the eighth to complete the scoring.
The Flyers banged out a total of 24 hits in game one, a season high for a SLU opponent. Cole Tyrell had a monster game, going 5-for-6 with three home runs and five RBIs. Zach Jacob notched a team-best six RBIs, and Jimmy Roesinger drove in four runs.
SLU starter Bryant Cotton was tagged with the loss after yielding 10 hits and eight runs in two innings of work.
In game two, the Flyers picked up right where they left off, scoring twice in the second inning to attain a lead it would not relinquish. Max Navalinski gave the Flyers the lead when he connected on a two-run homer off SLU starter Zach Outman.
The Billikens scored a run in the top of the third when Brock drove home senior shortstop Ryan Bennett on a groundout to pull SLU within one at 2-1.
That remained the score until the fifth inning, when the Flyers plated three runs. They followed that inning with a two-run sixth to stake a 7-1 advantage through six innings of play.
Braaten plated two with a two-run double in the seventh, but that is all the scoring either team could manage as the Flyers went on to post the 7-3 victory to complete the doubleheader and series sweep.
Jerry Mancuso registered a career-high four hits in game two and was the lone Billiken to post multiple hits in game two.
SLU returns next week with a pair of midweek tilts against Eastern Illinois (Tuesday) and Illinois (Wednesday) before hosting A-10 foe Charlotte next weekend at The Billiken Sports Center.
