Saint Louis defeated Western Illinois Sunday afternoon 8-2 behind three home runs and a strong Cody Luther start. The team used two big innings to get past the Leathernecks, scoring four in the third and three in the eighth.

Jake Garella and Ben Livorsi had back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the third inning, giving the Billikens a 4-1 lead. Garella finished the day 2-5 with three RBIs and one run scored. Livorsi also went 2-5, driving in two and scoring one.

Shane Benes hit his first home run of the year in the bottom half of the seventh inning. The long ball to centerfield brought him up to a team-leading 10 RBIs on the season. He wrapped up the day going 2-4 with one RBI and two runs scored.

Cody Luther cruised for most of the game, lasting 7.0 innings, giving up four hits, one run and striking out six Leatherneck batters. He improved his season record to 2-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 25 innnings pitched.

The Billikens are back in action on Tuesday, March 12 when a two-game series against Creighton begins at the Billikens Sports Center. Game time is set for 3 p.m.