ST. LOUIS - The Billikens' bullpen delivered 6.1 scoreless innings to help defeat the SIUE Cougars 5-1. The victory puts the Bills at 22-10 overall and snaps their three-game skid.
SIUE scored early off of Saint Louis starter Zack Smith. A quick double followed by an RBI single in the second inning gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the early goings. However, the Billiken bullpen rose to the occasion and did not allow a single hit in the contest. The relievers tallied a cumulative stat line of 6.1 IP, 0 hits, seven strikeouts and just two walks.
The Saint Louis offense got going in the fifth. Junior Steve Fernandez led off with a single through the left side. Junior Grant Nelson followed with a hit by pitch. Freshman Mike Vigliarolo ripped a single up the middle to score Fernandez and advance Nelson to third. The bases were then cleared on a Jordan Hammerman triple. He scored on the next at bat, drawing the score to 4-1 in favor of the Bills with five innings played.
The Billikens tacked on an additional run in the sixth on a Nelson sacrifice fly. He drove in Fernandez who laced a one-out triple.
Freshman Nick Bates picks up the win to move to 3-1 on the year. Fernandez paced the efforts offensively, going 3-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored.
Saint Louis will play Atlantic 10 foe Xavier this weekend in Cincinnati. The Billikens will start junior Alex Alemann on Fri., Apr. 13, sophomore Clay Smith on Sat., Apr. 14 and sophomore Damian Rivera on Sun. Apr. 15.
