SAUGET, Ill. - [BOX SCORE] A big day at the plate for the Billikens put the home team in the drivers' seat. Saint Louis plated nine runs in the first five innings and ran away with a 10-5 win over the Southern Illinois Salukis on Tuesday at GCS Ballpark.

Saint Louis (33-17, 17-3 A-10) jumped-out on top early with a four-run first. With Aaron Case standing on first base after being hit by a pitch, Alex King and Nick Reeser provided back-to-back base hits to put the Billikens up 2-0.

Jake Garella followed with a walk to put a runner at first for Carter Hanford. The Billiken third baseman came through with the third run of the game on an RBI double, the 109th double on the year for Saint Louis. Cole Dubet made it 4-0 on the next at-bat with an RBI single to center and continued the positive momentum.

The Billikens plated two more in the second as Garella came through with a big hit. The sophomore sent a two-RBI single to right-center, which scored King and Case, and made it a 6-0 contest.

The long ball came into play for both teams on Tuesday as Saint Louis sent three over the wall. Ryan Hernandez, Parker Sniatynski and James Morisano all recorded solo home runs for the Billikens as they extended the lead to 9-0 through five innings.

After Southern Illinois plated a pair in the top of the fifth, an odd play in right field resulted in the fourth home run of the game. Nicola Vasic drove a ball to the short wall in right field, and as Garella ran it down with his glove outstretched, his momentum carried him into the wall. The collision dislodged the ball from his glove, depositing it over the wall and giving the Salukis a three-run home run.

Saint Louis, however, recorded another run in the sixth as it grabbed its 33rd win of the season. With the victory, the Billikens extended their winning streak to four games heading into the final three games of the regular season.

The Billikens will host George Washington beginning on Thursday in the final Atlantic 10 series of the year. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Billiken Sports Center.