(Courtesy Saint Louis Athletics)
Saint Louis completed its best-ever Atlantic 10 Conference regular season with an 8-4, 10-6 doubleheader sweep of La Salle on Senior Day Saturday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Center.
Following game two, seniors Kelsey Biggs, Katie Kroeger and Olivia Roback were honored.
Saint Louis (28-19, 12-5 A-10) placed second in the final league standings, its highest finish in nine years of A-10 membership. In addition, the Billikens’ .706 conference winning percentage is their best in A-10 competition. The sweep also gave SLU a seven-game winning streak, tying the program record.
The Billikens are the No. 2 seed for next week’s A-10 Championship, hosted by Fordham in Bronx, N.Y. SLU receives a first-round bye and will play its first game Thursday, May 8, at 1:30 p.m. (CT) against the winner of Wednesday’s first-round game between No. 3 Saint Joseph’s and No. 6 La Salle.
A big inning was the key for Saint Louis in both games Saturday. SLU scored six runs in the third inning of the opener and tallied seven times in the sixth inning of the nightcap. Nine different Billikens recorded at least one RBI on the afternoon.
Also, the Bills came from behind in both contests, giving them 13 comeback victories this season.
In game one, La Salle (18-22, 9-9 A-10), took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, and Saint Louis answered with a two-out, two-run rally in the bottom half. Elizabeth Everingham walked and scored on Mackenzie Peter’s double, and Peter scored on a single by Hailey Weavers.
The Explorers pulled even in their half of the third, only to see the Billikens take command in the bottom of the frame.
Alex Nickel sparked the six-run outburst with a leadoff walk and moved to second on Ellie Huffman’s sacrifice. After Lindsay Friedman was intentionally walked, SLU took the lead for good on a Biggs double that scored Nickel. Friedman beat the shortstop’s throw to the plate onBrianna Lore’s ground ball to make it 4-2 Billikens.
After an Everingham single loaded the bases, Saint Louis scored four more times. Peter was hit by a pitch, Weavers singled, pinch hitter Macie Wheeler walked and Nickel singled, and the Bills owned an 8-2 cushion.
Lore pitched the first four innings to register the win. She allowed two runs on five hits, struck out two and did not walk a batter. Laney Kneib tossed the final three innings to pick up her first save of the year. Nickel and Everingham added a single apiece in the Billikens’ eight-hit attack.
In the nightcap, La Salle struck for four first-inning runs to force Saint Louis to play catch-up again.
The Billikens began their comeback in the second. Lore led off with a double and advanced to third on Everingham’s ground ball to second. Peter’s infield single put runners at the corners for Weavers, whose single plated Lore. Kroeger’s infield single loaded the bases, and Nickel lined a sacrifice fly that scored Peter to cut the La Salle margin in half, 4-2.
SLU matched a fifth-inning La Salle run with one of its own. Lore singled with two outs and scored on Everingham’s double.
Kroeger’s one-out infield single ignited the Bills’ explosive sixth inning, and SLU loaded the bases on Nickel’s single and a walk to Wheeler. Friedman tied it at 5-5 with a two-run double.
After Biggs walked to reload the bases, Lore put the Billikens up 7-5 with a two-run double. Everingham followed with a sacrifice fly, Peter doubled in a run, and Kroeger’s second hit of the inning gave SLU a 10-5 advantage.
Lore, who leads the A-10 with a school-record 23 wins (23-11), went the distance for her second victory of the day. She struck out five and walked only one. Following the rough first inning, Lore surrendered just two runs and four hits the rest of the way.
Friedman, Biggs and Everingham added a single apiece for the Billikens, whose 10 runs and 15 hits were season highs in an A-10 game.
