April 3, 2009

Box Score

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Richmond baseball team rallied with six runs in the final three innings, but Saint Louis hung on to defeat the Spiders 13-6 Friday night as the teams opened their three-game series in St. Louis, Mo.

Freshmen Adam McConnell and Matt Zink finished the day with five of the Spiders 12 hits, but the Billikens broke the game open late with seven runs in the eighth inning after Richmond had shaved the lead to 6-3 in the seventh.

The loss dropped the Spiders to 13-10 overall, 3-4 in Atlantic 10 play, while the Billikens improved to 15-13, 3-3.

Junior Stephen Owens, who entered the week with the A-10's second-lowest ERA (1.90), was touched up early with three runs in the first, two more in the third and one in the fifth as SLU mounted a 6-0 advantage. Zach Miller finished with four RBI and smacked a three-run homer in the opening inning.

Richmond finally broke through off winning pitcher Scott Turmail in the seventh inning when Evan Stehle's double brought Mike Mergenthaler home and Zink followed two batters later with a two-RBI triple.

Turmail allowed 10 hits and three runs (one earned) in eight innings with three strikeouts and no walks to improve to 4-1. Owens was tagged his first loss of the season (1-1).

The three runs by the Spiders in the seventh inning cut the lead to just 6-3, but seven runs by SLU in the eighth inning iced the victory. Ryan Bennett had an RBI double in the frame and Andrew Guerra followed later with a two-RBI double as the Bills pulled away.

Ryan Metzroth's RBI scored Zink in the ninth and Cameron Brown ripped a two-RBI double but that was all the Spiders could muster in the ninth inning.

Both of Stehle`s hits were doubles and the junior scored once. Zink was two-for-four with two RBI and a run, while McConnell had three hits and scored. Tom Pinnell was four-for-four with an RBI and two runs for Saint Louis.

Due to impending rain Sunday in the midwest, the teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.