The Billikens won their 30th game of the season for the fourth time in school history after beating the Southeast Missouri State RedHawks on Tuesday. This win comes after claiming a three-game sweep over their Atlantic 10 Conference opponent, the LaSalle Explorers. The Bills overall record stands at 30-14 and are just three wins short of tying the school record in wins.
In the first game of the series against La Salle, the Billikens topped the Explores by a score of 5-2 behind the bat of junior Alex Kelly. Kelly, who was 2-4 with a 3-run homerun, didn’t take long to do his damage.
Senior Mike Levine led off the game with a hit by pitch and was moved to second on a single by fellow senior Jerry Mancuso.
Just the third batter in the game, Kelly blasted a pitch over the right field fence to give the Billkens a quick 3-0 lead.
The Billikens would put up 2 more runs in the second to bring the score to 5-0. Billiken pitcher Clay Smith held the Explorers scoreless until the eight when they scored twice, but Travis Parker was able to close the game and bring his streak to 30.1 innings without giving up an earned run.
In the second game of the series, the Billikens routed the Explores by a score of 11-3. The Explores struck first, scoring a run in the bottom of the third but the Billikens responded in the 5th with a three run inning to bring the score to 3-1.
Junior Alex Alemann picked up his 6th win of the year to bring his record to 6-0.
The Billikens finished the series sweep with an 8-3 victory on Sunday. The Explorers struck first leading 2-0 after 3 innings but the Billikens offense would come alive in the fourth.
They scored 3 runs in the 4th inning and another 4 in the 5th.
They tacked on a final run in the 6th on a single by senior Jerry Mancuso. Freshman Nick Bates picked up the win for the Billikens and is now 4-1 on the season.
Their only game against Southeast Missouri State turned out to be a dominating pitching performance by the Bills, as the cruised to their fifth shutout of the season with a final score of 4-0.
Travis Parker picked up his eighth save on the season and extended his streak to 32.1 innings without giving up an earned run by pitching a scoreless eighth and ninth inning.
The Billikens will open their final home stand of the season this coming weekend with a three game set against the Saint Bonaventure Bonnies.
With 13 games remaining, the Billikens should have a good chance to break the school record for season wins.
