ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis took over second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 5-2, 2-1 doubleheader sweep of La Salle Saturday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center.

The Billikens improved to 27-15 overall and 11-5 in the A-10. La Salle, which began the day in second place, fell to 11-13, 7-4.

In game two, Saint Louis scored its only runs in the first inning. Alex Nickel led off with a double, and Lindsay Friedman slammed her ninth home run of the year, tying her own single-season record set in 2014.

La Salle plated its only tally in the third, but winning pitcher Maddie Baalman (8-6) escaped a bases-loaded jam with no further damage. Baalman also worked out of a first-and-second, one-out situation in the fifth.

Back-to-back two-out singles in the sixth gave La Salle another chance to tie or take the lead. But Laney Kneib came on to record the final out on a weak popup, then retired the side in order in the seventh to register her sixth save of the season, a Billiken record.

Baalman struck out three, walked three and surrendered seven hits in 5 2/3 innings of work.

Brianna Lore and Emma Buckles had two hits apiece, and Allie Macfarlane added a hit.

La Salle took a 1-0 lead in the second inning of the opener, but SLU answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame.

The Billikens loaded the bases on Lore's infield single and walks to Alyssa Tarquinio and Buckles. With two away, the tying run scored when Nickel's sharp ground ball went under the glove of the La Salle shortstop. A walk to Friedman forced in the go-ahead run.

Saint Louis made it 3-1 in the third. Macfarlane drew a leadoff walk, and with one out, Tarquinio singled and Hailey Weavers walked. Buckles followed with an RBI single.

Friedman led off the fourth with a walk, stole second, moved to third on Elizabeth Everingham's infield single and scored on a double play to increase the SLU lead to 4-1.

The Explorers had two runners on in the fifth but failed to score, then loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth. But Lore (13-9) yielded just one unearned run, and it was 4-2 Billikens.

The Bills tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. Singles by Nickel and Friedman were followed by Everingham's RBI double.

Lore was touched for a leadoff triple in the seventh but set down the next three batters in order. She fanned six, allowed six hits and walked just one.