SAINT LOUIS – [GAME 1 BOX] [GAME 2 BOX] Saint Louis University Baseball completed its 2018 regular season with the longest and shortest games of the season. After dropping a tough 5-4 decision in 13 innings to George Washington, the Billikens rallied to a dominant 12-1 win in game two in a five and a half inning affair.
Saint Louis (35-18, 19-4 A-10) trailed early after George Washington plated a pair of runs in the second, but rallied in the bottom half. Alex King walked to put the first runner of the inning on base for the Billikens. Ryan Hernandezfollowed with his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at one.
The Billikens took the lead on another two-run home run in the bottom of the third. Jake Garella connected with his second of the season on the first pitch of his at-bat to give Saint Louis a 4-2 lead.
The advantage stood until the top of the sixth. After a leadoff single from Nate Fassnacht, Dominic D’Alessandro hit his seventh home run of the season to tie the game at four apiece.
Will Kobos got the win in a stellar performance for the Colonials. The junior out of Charlotte, N.C. went eight innings in relief and tossed 126 pitches in the process while holding the Billikens to just two hits.
The Billikens had a big opportunity in the 11th with bases loaded and two outs, but were unable to get the key hit as the Colonials plated the winning run on a fielder’s choice in the top of the 13th.
Game two was a completely different story as the game was halted after the top of the sixth due to a travel curfew for the Colonials. The Billikens recorded 12 runs on 11 hits as senior Aaron Patton collected his first win of the season.
The Billikens plated five runs in the second and four in the third as they cruised to their 35th win of the season. Parker Sniatynski went a perfect 3-3 at the plate in game two as Jake Garella and Cole Dubet finished with two hits apiece.
The win in game two was also a milestone for Coach Darin Hendrickson. The Saint Louis Head Coach grabbed win No. 362, surpassing former head coach Bob Hughes as the All-Time Wins Leader in program history.
The Billikens will now turn their attention to the Atlantic 10 Championship set to begin on Wednesday in Arlington, Va. By virtue of winning the A-10 regular season title, Saint Louis has earned a bye on day one of play and will take-on the winner of No. 4-seeded Richmond and No. 5 Davidson.
First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. CDT. Every game of the 2018 A-10 Baseball Championship will be streamed on the A-10 Network. The winner of the A-10 championship will earn the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals.
