Western fell to 1-4 as the Billikens won their first game of the season and are 1-1.
St. Louis used a four-run seventh inning to earn the victory. Johnny Sweeney doubled to left field to start the frame and Casey Moore hit a sacrifice fly to score Sweeney. The next two batters singled and a walk loaded the bases — then Matt Gerst cleared them with a double off the rightfield wall to put the Billikens ahead for good.
The Hilltoppers jumped on the scoreboard early as Matt Ransdell walked and Marcus Ross knocked him in with a bloop single over the first baseman to go ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
Daniel Faulkner took a two-hitter into the top of the sixth, but gave up two straight singles and threw three wild pitches in the inning. The second wild pitch scored Pat Steinhoff from third to tie the game, 1-1.
Faulkner threw 7.0 innings, allowing eight hits on five runs and struckout five.
Ransdell hit a triple in the seventh inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly from Dennis Winn to close the gap to three runs but the Hilltoppers didn’t score again despite leaving the bases loaded in the eight and putting two runners on in their final at bat.
“We made the mistake on an 0-2 pitch that let Gerst clear the bases,” Hilltopper head coach Joel Murrie explained about the seventh inning hit. “You have to credit their pitchers, they pitched a great ballgame but we are better than two runs.”
Tim Landy (1-0) threw 7.0 innings while giving up four hits, two runs and striking out two. Second baseman Patrick Valdez came in to close the game for the Billikens as he didn‘t give up any hits or runs and saved his first game of the year.
Gerst led the way for St. Louis as he went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Steinhoff and Sweeney also hit safely twice in the ballgame.
Ross had two hits with a RBI while Winn had an RBI off of a sacrifice fly.
The two teams close out the series Sunday, with first pitch set for 1 p.m. (CST).
