Saint Louis Beats SIUE, 11-3 in Baseball Action

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Saint Louis used a six-run fifth inning to score an 11-3 win over SIUE baseball Thursday at Simmons Baseball Complex.

The Cougars fell to 5-6 while Saint Louis improved to 7-4.

Each team scored a run in the second to tie the score at 1-1. Zach Frieling drove home the Billiken's run with a sacrifice fly. Freshman Preston Salazar singled to drive home SIUE's run in the second, his first collegiate RBI.

SIUE pushed a pair of runs across in the third to take a 3-1 lead. Brady Bunten doubled with one out and scored on an error. Perkins, who reached on the error, scored later in the inning on a fielder's choice.

The Billikens seized control with six runs against three SIUE pitchers in the fifth inning. SLU's Colin Bergmann drove home two runs with a single. Edwardsville native Jake Garella added a two-run homer in the inning.  

David Llorens, who started the game, left after surrendering a pair of runs. Llorens allowed three runs on four hits and struck out five, but walked four.

"The pitch count got him a little bit and limited his time in the game tonight," SIUE Head Coach Sean Lyons said of Llorens. "It's early and we're still trying to stretch guys out. We'd love to get six or seven innings eventually in these starts."

Brian Chandler allowed four runs in just 1/3 of an inning and Tyler Bastunas worked 1.2 innings and allowed two runs.

"When we went to the bullpen we got ourselves into trouble immediately and gave up the big inning which made things a little tough," Lyons added.

The Billikens scored two more runs in the sixth inning and got a two-run home run from Kyle fitzgerald in the seventh for the final margin.
SIUE lefthanders Rob Parks and Quin Waterhouse worked the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, without allowing a run.

"Parks and Waterhouse both gave us clean innings in the eighth and the ninth," Lyons said. "That's what they need to do. In these midweeks, guys are competing for innings on the weekend. To come in and throw up a clean innings is showing their abilities."

The Cougars only managed the three runs, despite putting up 12 hits, their second most in a game this year. Bunten paced the SIUE attack at the plate. He was 4 for 5 with two singles, a double, a triple and a run scored.

"We've been waiting for that breakout night for somebody," Lyons said. "It's good to see him with the big night tonight and hopefully that will carry over to the weekend.

Salazar finished 2 for 4 with the RBI.

SIUE remains home to open Ohio Valley Conference play with a three-game set against Tennessee Tech beginning Friday.

"What we're looking forward to most is being able to get outside the next two days and practice," Lyons said. "Some of the mistakes that we're making are things that are part of not being able to practice outdoors. We have some areas that we have to get cleaned up to play at the level that we're capable of. We have to get it going and get it all put together this weekend."