May 20, 2011

Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score

ST. LOUIS, MO - Despite battling from behind throughout the day, the La Salle baseball team came up heartbreakingly short and dropped a doubleheader against Saint Louis on a muggy, windy Friday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center.

In game one, Saint Louis jumped on starting pitcher Eric Van Wyk early and held on late for a 6-4 victory. Van Wyk allowed five runs (three earned) off eight hits in 4.2 innings and suffered his third loss of the season.

The Billikens (29-26, 10-14) scored three runs in the second inning to jump out to a lead that they would not relinquish. La Salle got on the board in the fifth with a two-run single from George Smith Jr. Smith Jr. finished the doubleheader 4-for-7 with a run scored and two RBI.

After Saint Louis extended the lead with two more runs in the bottom half of the fifth, RBI's by Jeff Flax and Adam Kammler cut the deficit to 5-4 in heading into the eighth inning.

Trailing 6-4 in the ninth, La Salle loaded the bases with one out but Marc Schoch and Jon Gyles both struck out with the tying runs in scoring position to end the game.

In the second half of the twin bill, Saint Louis jumped out to another early lead with two runs in the second inning of La Salle starter Dominic Sgroi.

The Explorers (27-24, 13-11) chipped away and eventually took the lead in the eighth with a three-run frame. Joe Bennie and Zach Feierstein had RBI's in the inning for La Salle, who grabbed a 4-2 edge heading into the last of the eighth.

After Saint Louis scored an unearned run in the eighth of closer Pat Christensen, the Explorers were victim of two more errors in the ninth, leading to two more Billiken unearned runs and propelling SLU to a dramatic 5-4 win.

La Salle will await the final day of regular season action in the Atlantic 10 on Saturday to find out if they will clinch a bid in the postseason.

The final seeds for the 2011 Atlantic 10 Baseball Championship will be released on Sunday.