May 6, 2009

Box Score

BRONX, N.Y. - Kelcie Matesa gave up just one hit and the Saint Louis offense put together two big innings to claim a 10-0 win over No. 6 seed St. Bonaventure (12-27) in the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Championship at Bahoshy Field in Bronx, N.Y. Wednesday afternoon. The third-seeded Billikens (22-31) will take on No. 2 seed Charlotte at 2 p.m. (CT) Thursday.

The Billikens scored what turned out to be the only run they needed in the bottom of the second. Katie Johns moved pinch runner Liz Jones to third with a sacrifice bunt before Jones safely slid around the tag at the plate on Kelly Flanagan's sacrifice fly to left field.

Saint Louis expanded its lead in the third. Rachel O'Connell drew a one-out walk and Kristin Nicoletti reached on a bunt single before Rachel Heet brought in the first run of the frame with a double to right center. Nicki Jost then hit a grounder to the second baseman, who threw home to get Nicoletti at the plate. But the ball short-hopped the catcher to the right of the plate allowing Nicoletti to cross. Heet also scored on the play as Jost went to second. St. Bonaventure starter Sherri Thompson then collected her third strikeout of the game, but Johns kept the Billiken offense going with a home run over the right-field fence to make it 6-0.

SLU scored four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game courtesy of the run rule. Johns was hit by a pitch and Brittney Schmidt took over as the pinch runner before Bonnie reliever Anderson Conte fanned the ensuing batter. Then Caitlin Trevillyan followed with her first home run of the season, a three-run walk-off shot to left field on a changeup, to end the game.

Kelcie Matesa (8-13) struck out six in her first shutout of the season and allowed just one walk and one hit, a second-inning single up the middle, in the complete game. Each of Saint Louis' seven hits came from a different player, while Trevillyan led the way with three RBIs and Johns had two. With a bunt single in the third, Nicoletti became the fastest Billiken to reach 100 hits in her career.