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The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

The Student News Site of Saint Louis University

The University News

Baseball ties record with 10 straight wins

Redshirt junior Steve Fernadez swings for the fences against Western Illinois University. Photo courtesy of Billiken Media Relations
Redshirt junior Steve Fernadez swings for the fences against Western Illinois University. Photo courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

The men’s baseball team entered spring break having won two straight games and continued their success by winning eight more consecutive games to tie a school record with 10 straight wins.

Redshirt junior Steve Fernadez swings for the fences against Western Illinois University. Photo courtesy of Billiken Media Relations

The Billikens (16-5) are averaging 8.2 runs a game and only allow 2.7 runs to their opponents during their streak that started with a 6-2 win against Winthrop on March 4.

They followed up that victory with another record-setting performance as they beat Southeast Missouri State 22-11 on March 6.

Sophomore Danny Brennan had a team-record seven at-bats in the game, and the team’s 22 runs and 7 hit by pitches also set new standards.  The team’s 19 RBIs tied their existing record. Freshman Mike Vigliarolo hit his first collegiate homerun in the second inning with a three-run shot.

The Billikens began spring break with their home opener, the first game in a three-game series against North Dakota.  Junior Alex Alemann improved to 3-0 on the year with an Atlantic 10 season-best ERA of 0.31 after seven innings of shutout baseball in the 11-0 victory.

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Northern Illinois came to town on March 13 and 14 but couldn’t cool off the red-hot Bills.  SLU took the first game 7-2 and the second game 4-1 behind strong pitching performances by seniors Jim Foster and Jerry Mancuso, and freshman James Norwood.

Western Illinois battled the Billikens and the rain in a delayed game on March 16 but had to face the hottest pitcher in the A-10, Alemann. Alemann allowed a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning, which was the first run he gave up in his last 27.2 innings, in the 6-2 victory for the Bills.  He ended the day giving up just two runs in seven innings and had five strikeouts.

After a rainout game that was supposed to be against the Air Force, SLU won a nail-biter against University of Tennessee-Martin.  The Bills won 3-2, but it took them 10 innings to scratch the winning run across home plate.        On March 20, the Billikens beat Western Illinois for a second time, 7-4, behind Rivera, junior Jon Levin and Parker’s strong-pitching performances.

The Bills will go for their potentially record-setting 11th win by beginning conference play against Temple.  SLU will play a three-game weekend series starting at 6 p.m. on Friday in St. Louis at the Billiken Sports Center.

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