Saint Louis (24-27, 12-10) dropped the series opener 17-4 to Richmond (26-22-1, 12-7) on Thursday afternoon.

Jake Garella put the Billikens ahead early, smacking his fifth home run of the year in the top of the first inning. The two-run shot to center gave SLU a 2-0 lead, but it was all Richmond from there.

The Spiders scored in every inning they came to bat, expect for the fifth.

Tyler Plantier went 3-5 with three home runs, seven RBIs and three runs scored for Richmond. The third baseman almost hit for the home run cycle, smacking both a two and three-run shot and a solo blast in the contest.

Garella finished the game 2-4 with one run scored, two RBIs and a walk. He now leads the Billikens with 39 RBIs on the season.

Braxton Stowe and Cole Dubet both finished with multi-hit games, going 2-4 with one run scored.

Connor Lehmann suffered the loss for the Bills, allowing seven earned runs on seven hits and striking out five in 3.0 innings.

The Billikens will look to bounce back in their afternoon game on Friday. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.