April 24, 2010
Game One Box Score | Game Two Box Score
AMHERST, Mass. - Massachusetts swept a doubleheader against Saint Louis this afternoon in Atlantic 10 Conference baseball action at Earl Lorden Field.
The Billikens (20-21, 8-7 A-10) were up 9-3 in the first game, but UMass (10-21, 7-8 A-10) scored seven unanswered runs to take a 10-9 victory. In the nightcap, the Minutemen posted a 12-0 victory.
Danny Brock drove in four runs and blasted a three-run homer in game one, adding to his A-10-leading RBI total that now stands at 58, just nine shy of the SLU single season record. The home run was his 15th of the season, tying him with Jon Myers for the team lead.
SLU got off to a strong start, scoring twice in the top of the first of game one. J.D. Dunn's fourth triple of the season to give the Bills an early 1-0 advantage. Dunn would later score on a UMass error to make 2-0 Billikens through one inning.
That remained the score until the bottom of the fourth when the Minutemen put two runs on the board to tie it up, but SLU quickly regained the lead in the top of the fifth. Ben Braaten doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Mike Levine drove in Miller to give SLU a 3-2 advantage. Brock then cleared the bases after hammering a two-out pitch over the left-center field fence to make it 6-2.
UMass cut its deficit in half with a run in the fifth, but SLU posted a three-spot in the sixth to stretch out to a 9-3 lead. It all started when Jerry Mancuso reached on an error. Later, Levine lifted a sacrifice fly to plate Mancuso, and Miller also scored on the play after another UMass error.
Cotter continued the inning with a double, and Dunn walked to load the bases. Brock also drew a walk to plate a run, making it 9-3 Billikens.
But UMass scored once in each of the next two innings, and capped the comeback with a five-run eighth inning to post the 10-9 victory. UMass banged out 18 hits in the game, including a game-high four off the bat of Eric Fredette.
Cotter finished with two hits in the game, while Dunn walked three times. Levine was 1-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Mancuso took the loss after pitching the final 2/3 innings and allowing two runs on two hits.
Game two was scoreless until the fourth when UMass put six runs on the board to post a lead it would not relinquish. The Minutemen spread their offense around, as five players posted multiple hits and seven players registered RBIs en route to the 12-0 victory.
For SLU, Cotter, Brock, Lucas Calderon and Levine all singled. Starter Andrew Buckham was charged with the loss after yielding four runs on five hits in three innings.
The Billikens return to action Wednesday when they host SIU Edwardsville at The Billiken Sports Center at 7 p.m. SLU resumes A-10 play next weekend in a home series against St. Bonaventure.
