(Courtesy of Saint Louis Athletics)
PHILADELPHIA – Saint Louis established a school record for victories Saturday afternoon with a 7-1, 11-1 (five innings) Atlantic 10 Conference sweep of Saint Joseph’s at SJU Softball Field.
The Billikens (31-16, 14-5 A-10) surpassed the previous school standard of 30 wins, which was set in 2010 and equaled last year.
One other team school record fell in game two. A pair of doubles gave Saint Louis 77 two-baggers, breaking the old mark of 76 held by the 2007 team. Earlier this season, the Bills set school records for runs, RBIs, home runs and total bases.
Alex Nickel set or tied four individual school marks in the twinbill. Nickel now owns Billiken season records for runs (49, breaking Lindsay Friedman’s record of 48 set last year) and total bases (108, surpassing Jill Pursell’s mark of 106 set in 2007). She tied Friedman’s record (2014) of 32 walks.
Nickel slammed her 10th home run of the year in game two, one more than Friedman’s season record of nine turned in a year ago. However, she co-owns the record with Friedman, who also launched her 10th homer in the nightcap.
The Billikens took command early in both games, combining to score 10 of their 18 runs in the first inning.
SLU put six first-inning runs on the board in the opener, four of them unearned with the help of two errors and a passed ball. Nickel, Elizabeth Everingham, Allie Macfarlane, Alyssa Tarquinio and Josie Knesel had singles, while Everingham, Macfarlane, Knesel and Macie Wheeler picked up an RBI apiece.
The Billikens tacked on a run in the fourth. Nickel drew a leadoff walk, stole second and continued to third on a throwing error by the catcher, and scored on Friedman’s sacrifice fly.
Brianna Lore (16-9) struck out four, allowed seven hits and did not walk a batter. Lore has walked just two over her last six outings (35 1/3 innings). She also singled.
Game two saw Saint Louis take a 4-0 lead in the opening frame.
Nickel’s leadoff single was followed by Friedman’s home run. Two outs later, Lore re-ignited the rally with a single and moved to third on Tarquinio’s double. Hailey Weavers and Emma Buckles produced back-to-back RBI singles to make it 4-0.
Saint Joseph’s (21-17, 6-10) pushed across a run in the bottom of the inning, but Nickel’s leadoff homer in the second reestablished a four-run Saint Louis advantage.
In the fourth, Knesel led off with an infield single, swiped second with one out and scored on Friedman’s double that set the Billiken record. Friedman stole third with two away and scored on Macfarlane’s single to make it 7-1.
The Billikens put themselves in position for a run-rule victory by tallying four times in the fifth. Weavers and Buckles singled and advanced to second and third, respectively, on a throwing error. Knesel’s ground ball scored Weavers, and Nickel’s single plated Buckles.
Friedman was hit by a pitch, and with two away, Macfarlane walked to load the bases. Nickel scored on a passed ball. Lore’s single brought home Friedman to conclude the scoring, and Maddie Baalman (9-6) retired the Hawks in order in the fifth to end the game.
Baalman fanned two and surrendered just three hits and two walks.
Saint Louis’ 16 hits in game two established a Billiken season high vs. an A-10 opponent. Nickel and Lore led the way with three hits apiece; Friedman, Weavers and Buckles each had two; and Everingham, Macfarlane, Tarquinio and Knesel collected one apiece.
The Billikens go for the series sweep in Sunday’s single game that begins at 11 a.m. (CT).
