Billikens Take First Game Of Saturday's Doubleheader, 8-1

Junior lefty Matt Zielinski struck out nine and allowed just two runs in five innings.

Matt Zielinski fanned nine in five innings for Richmond.

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April 4, 2009

Box Score

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The Richmond baseball team allowed Saint Louis to strike for eight unanswered runs as the Billikens secured an 8-1 victory in the first game of a twinbill Saturday in St. Louis, Mo. Ryan Metzroth and Cameron Brown each had two hits for the Spiders.

Richmond (13-11, 3-5) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning after Metzroth and Brown each singled to lead off the frame. Mike Mergenthaler's sacrifice bunt moved each into scoring position and Evan Stehle drove in Metzroth on an error.

But SLU starting pitcher Bryant Cotton fanned the next two Spiders to end the threat and minimize the damage.

RBI singles from Zach Miller and Tim Pinnell in the fifth gave the Billikens (16-13, 4-3) the lead and they piled on in the sixth with five more runs. Miller ripped a two-run double, followed by a two-run single Ben Braaten in the sixth.

Cotton worked an eight-inning gem with nine strikeouts and no walks to pick up his fourth win of the season (4-2).

Richmond starter Matt Zielinski was up to the task, allowing just two runs with nine strikeouts in five innings of work, but got just a run of support from the offense and fell to 1-1 this season.