SAINT LOUIS – [BOX SCORE] Saint Louis University Baseball put on a power-hitting display on a chilly day in midtown on Saturday. Four different players recorded a home run as the Billikens ran away with an 11-7 victory.
Saint Louis (20-9, 7-1 A-10) posted a pair of runs in the first, but UMass responded in the top of the second to make it a 2-2 game. In the first, Billikens put together a two out rally beginning with a walk to Jake Garella. After a walk was issued to Carter Hanford to put runners at first and second, Nick Reeser delivered the first inning runs for the Billikens. Reeser drove a 1-2 pitch up the middle to plate both Garella and Hanford to make it a 2-0 lead early.
The Minutemen responded in the top of the second. A one out double from Connor Smith set the table as Marcus Fry doubled later in the inning to tie the game at two.
Saint Louis utilized the long ball on Saturday as the team in blue recorded six of its 11 runs via the home run. Parker Sniatynski was the first to homer, a solo shot in the third, to give the Billikens a 3-2 lead.
In the fourth, Cole Dubet and Alex King powered the Billiken offense. The Saint Louis second baseman was the first to put one over the wall, his to the left field corner, to extend the lead to 4-2. Alex King hit one out shortly after, a two-run homer to right-center, and made it a 7-2 lead for the home team.
UMass posted a pair in the top of the fifth before the Saint Louis offense went back to work. Ryan Hernandez singled with Reeser standing at first to put runners at the corners with two outs. Case singled to score Reeser to make it an 8-4 game in the next at-bat before Sniatynski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it a 9-4 Billiken lead.
Reeser, however, was not done. The Billiken first baseman hit his second home run of the year in the bottom of the sixth to put the home team up 11-4.
UMass posted another run in the top of the seventh before Eddy Hart picked-up his second home run in as many days as the Minutemen made a late charge. Nick Logusch, however, was able to get Nolan Kessinger to strikeout to end the threat and the game.
Jackson Wark picked-up his team and Atlantic 10-leading sixth win of the season to run his record to 6-1. The junior tossed six innings and allowed four runs on five hits with seven strikeouts to his credit.
With the win, Saint Louis moved to 7-1 in the A-10 and secured its third series win of the season against an A-10 opponent.
The Billikens will conclude the series on Sunday as Drew Reveno will get the start on the mound. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
