March 9, 2010

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ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis parlayed a balanced offensive attack and a strong performance by freshman right-hander Andres Wiltz into an 11-7 victory against Western Illinois Tuesday in non-conference baseball action at The Billiken Sports Center.

The Billikens (7-6) have won three in a row for the first time this year, and they also avenged an earlier loss to WIU (4-5). Next up for SLU is a three-game weekend series at Murray State beginning Friday.

Six Billikens registered at least two hits, led by redshirt freshman Steve Fernandez's 4-for-5, four RBI performance. Fernandez was honored earlier in the day after being named to CollegeBaseball360.com's Primetime Performer Weekly Honor Roll after totaling five RBIs in the Billikens' win over nationally ranked Ohio State last weekend.

Junior third baseman Ben Braaten was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and three runs scored. J.D. Dunn and sophomore left fielder David Blackwell drove in a run with a pinch-hit single, and senior first baseman Danny Brock singled and scored. In all, the Billikens pounded out 17 hits.

Wiltz earned his first career victory after tossing five innings, allowing one run on just two hits. He fanned three and walked two.

The only run allowed by Wiltz came in the top of the second, when WIU loaded the bases with no one out. Andrew Hagins would plate a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Leathernecks on top, but Wiltz retired the next two batters via a groundout to third and a strikeout to prevent any further damage.

The Billikens took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Braaten stroked a one-out single, and Myers and Miller followed with singles to load the bases. Fernandez then singled through the left side to plate Miller and Braaten, giving the Billikens a 2-1 lead.

SLU broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth, scoring six runs and stretching out to an 8-1 advantage. Dunn and Mancuso singled, and Brock walked to load the bases for Braaten, who drove in two runs with a double to left. Miller would draw a walk to load the bases again, an Myers would unclear them just as quickly with a three-run triple to right center to make it 7-1 Billikens. After a pitching change, Fernandez doubled down the right-field line to score Myers and put the Bills on top 8-1.

Western Illinois scored once in the top of the sixth and two more in the seventh to cut its deficit in half at 8-4, but SLU scored the next three runs with a tally in the seventh and two more in the eighth. Fernandez drove in another run in the seventh with an RBI base knock. In the eighth, Dunn reached on a lead-off double and came home on Blackwell's pinch-hit single up the middle. Later in the inning, Blackwell scored on a WIU error to make it 11-4 SLU.

WIU tried to rally in the ninth and plated three runs on six hits, but it wasn't enough and the Billikens prevailed 11-7.

Four relievers tossed the final four innings for the SLU, with Marco Mejia pitching a scoreless eighth. WIU starter Carlos Pineda was charged with the loss. Tom Lilja, Jason Summers and Curt Myers all had three hits for the Leathernecks.