LAWRENCE, Kan. – Saint Louis sent 17 batters to the plate in an 11-run second inning, and Brianna Lore registered her school-record-tying 45th career victory in the Billikens' 18-0, five-inning win over Northern Colorado Thursday night at the Jayhawk Invitational.
The Billikens improved to 13-6 with their seventh consecutive win. Northern Colorado, a member of the Big Sky Conference, fell to 5-7-1.
Lore (6-4), who won her fifth straight decision, equaled the Billiken record set by Nicole Bohnenstiehl (2001-03). She allowed just one hit – an infield single – struck out seven and walked two in notching her second shutout of the season. Lore also went 2-for-3 at the plate.
The Billikens scored all the runs they would need in the top of the first on Allie Macfarlane's two-out, two-run double, the first of her three hits.
SLU plated 10 of its 11 second-inning tallies with two outs. After the first run scored on an error, Lindsay Friedman made it 7-0 with a grand slam, her team-leading sixth home run of the year and fourth round-tripper in the last six games. Macfarlane's two-run homer, her third blast of the season, increased the lead to 9-0.
Seven consecutive walks followed. Madeline Brungardt, Alex Nickel, Mackenzie Peter and Friedman chalked up RBIs on bases-loaded free passes, and it was 13-0 Saint Louis.
The Bills scored twice in the third on a Hailey Weavers sacrifice fly and Nickel's RBI single. A three-run fifth was highlighted by Miranda Cotton's two-run double. Cotton scored the final run on a throwing error.
Saint Louis takes on UMKC Friday at 10:30 a.m.