ST. LOUIS – Brenden Stressler's two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning gave Saint Louis an 8-7 victory over South Dakota State in the opener of a three-game weekend series Friday night at the Billiken Sports Center.
 
Stressler's homer, his team-leading fourth of the season, came with one out and scored Riley Iffrig, who was hit by a pitch. It made a winner out of Chase Minor (2-0), who came on with one out in the eighth and stranded two South Dakota State runners with a pair of strikeouts after the Jackrabbits had scored three runs to take a 7-6 lead.
 
The Billikens (6-7) started the scoring by plating three runs in the second. Max McGwire led off with a single and scored on Patrick Mendiola's two-out double. Austin Neuweg followed with his first home run of the season.
 
After South Dakota State (1-8) pulled even in the third and took a 4-3 lead in the fourth, Saint Louis generated another three-run inning in the fifth. Ethan Sitzman's second homer of the year tied it, and Iffrig's triple, a walk to Stressler and Hank Gomric's hit-by-pitch loaded the bases with two outs. Ian Halverson drew a walk that scored Iffrig, and Stressler scored on a wild pitch to make it 6-4 SLU.
 
Every Saint Louis starter had at least one hit in the Bills' 11-hit attack. Sitzman and McGwire added singles to register two-hit games.
 
Billiken pitchers recorded 14 strikeouts. Starter Owen Kelly fanned seven in 4 1/3 innings, Charlie Weber struck out four in three innings, and Minor finished with three.
 
The Billikens and Jackrabbits meet again Saturday at 2 p.m.