RICHMOND, Va. – Saint Louis sophomore right-hander Jackson Holmes tossed 7.1 innings and sophomore righty Jack Weber shut down Richmond over the final 1.2 innings as the fourth-seeded Billikens knocked off No. 5 Richmond 6-3 today in the opening game of the Atlantic 10 Conference Baseball Championship at The Diamond in Richmond, Va.
 
SLU (31-21) advances to face top-seeded Saint Joseph's on Wednesday in a 10 a.m. (CT) first pitch. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
 
Holmes and Weber were effective on the mound in the all-important first game of the tournament, allowing the Billikens' staff to save arms. Holmes moved to 3-0 on the year after scattering five hits and allowing just one earned run. Weber came on in a save situation in the eighth, got out of the inning, then sat down the Spiders in order in the ninth to pick up his third save of the year.
 
Meanwhile, SLU utilized timely hitting and put a three-spot on the board early to help secure the win. Cole Smith continued his hot hitting with a 3-for-4, two RBI day at the plate. He extended his hitting streak to 10.
 
Ethan Sitzman had a two-RBI single in the fifth. Hayden Moore went 2-for-3 and scored twice, while Cameron Swanger had a pair of hits and an RBI.
 
SLU advances in the winners bracket where it will face the top-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks on Wednesday. SLU swept Saint Joseph's in the third A-10 series of the year. Since that series, the Hawks went on a 13-2 tear through A-10 play to capture their first A-10 regular-season crown.