March 2, 2010
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ST. LOUIS - Danny Brock smashed a pair of homers and J.D. Dunn posted a team-high three hits and scored twice as Saint Louis topped Southeast Missouri State 10-6 Tuesday in the Billikens' baseball home opener at The Billiken Sports Center.
SLU (4-3) and SEMO (4-3) combined for 31 hits on the cold afternoon, with the Redhawks out-hitting the Billikens 18-13. But SLU scored at least one run in each of the final seven innings, and Jerry Manucuso pitched a strong four innings of relief to deliver the Billiken win.
Southeast Missouri jumped out to a 2-0 lead through an inning and a half, totaling seven hits in the first two frames off SLU starter Bryant Cotton.
SLU started its scoring in the bottom of the second. Ben Braaten led off with a base knock to right, and Andrew Guerra then lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Braaten and made it a 2-1 ballgame.
Saint Louis tied the score in the bottom of the third. The Bills loaded the bases, and Mike Levine eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it 2-2.
In the fourth, SLU took a 4-2 lead after a solo homer to left by Guerra. Levine kept the inning alive with a single to left, and Dunn tripled Levine home with a long drive to center that put the Bills on top.
Meanwhile, Cotton kept the Redhawks off the scoreboard in the third and fourth but ran into trouble in the fifth. SEMO reached on an error, doubled and drew a walk to chase Cotton from the game in favor of reliever Jim Foster. Southeast, which had already closed the gap to 4-3, scored two more times on a pair of RBI singles to take a 5-4 lead.
Brock tied it with a solo blast to lead off the fifth, and the Billikens took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth. Calderon lead off with a triple and trotted home on a Levine sacrifice fly. Dunn doubled and later scored on a Mancuso RBI single up the middle, making it 7-5 Billikens through six innings.
SEMO plated a run in the top of the seventh to cut its deficit to one at 7-6, but SLU got the run back in its half of the seventh. Braaten led off with a walk, and advanced to third on a Jon Myers double to right. The Redhawks would get two quick outs, but Braaten ended up scoring on a balk to make it 8-6.
In the eighth, Brock hit his second homer of the day to give the Bills the eventual 10-6 victory. Dunn drew a two-out walk, and Brock lifted a towering shot over the left-field fence for his second and third RBIs of the game.
Mancuso ended up pitching four innings, allowing one run on six hits. He struck out four and walked none. Cotton went 4-1/3 innings and allowed 10 hits and five runs (two earned).
Every Billiken starter recorded at least one hit. Levine ended up 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored, while Braaten walked twice and scored twice. Brad Labruyere took the loss for SEMO, while Tim Rupp had a productive day a the plate, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs.
The Billikens are back at it tomorrow when they face Western Illinois in a 3 p.m. first pitch at The Billiken Sports Center. Tommy Coovert is expected to get the start on the mound for SLU.
