SLU’s Austin Neuweg (7) crosses home plate, after his three-run homer gave the Billikens the lead in Friday’s win over Cincinnati at the Billiken Sports Complex. (Photo: Cedric Williams)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati (13-10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 11 | 1 |
| SLU (16-4) | 0 | 0 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 14 | 17 | 0 |
WP: Jackson Holmes – SLU (5-1) LP: Seth Logue – UC (0-3) SV: Jack Weber – SLU (2)
Jason Barnes
Staff Writer
ST. LOUIS, MO — Saint Louis University and the University of Cincinnati combined for 28 hits, 26 runs, and 11 home runs (eight hit by Cincinnati) in an absolute slugfest, Friday afternoon at the Billiken Sports Complex, which the Billikens won 14-12.
Saint Louis got all its runs in just two innings — a nine-run third and a five-run fourth — which put the Billikens ahead 14-2. But the Bearcats kept their bats going and scored all 12 of their runs on home runs and nearly came all the way back.
The win snapped a three-game losing streak for SLU and improved its record to 16-4, while the loss ended a three-game win streak for Cincinnati and dropped the Bearcats’ record to 13-10.
Saint Louis got rolling in the bottom of the third when it sent 12 men to the plate and scored nine runs. After Austin Neuweg, Hayden Moore, and Patrick Clohisy began the inning with a hit, another hit, and a hit by pitch, Cole Smith, Tyler Fogarty, Graham Mastros, Easton Richter, and Knox Preston all followed with RBI singles.
Then Neuweg came to the plate for the second time in the inning and blasted a long, three-run homer over the left field wall to make the score 8-0 Saint Louis. Moore followed with a solo shot over the right field wall to make it 9-0 SLU.
Moore’s blast put him back in the team lead for home runs with six.
Cincinnati hit a pair of solo shots in the top of the fourth to get itself on the board, but SLU answered with five runs in its half of the inning.
The big blow being a three-run homer by Fogarty, who now has five dingers on the season.
Cincinnati hit six homers in the final five innings, but the Billikens were able to hold on for the win.
Fogarty and Smith both had three hits, while Moore, Mastros, Richter, and Neuweg each had two.
Jackson Holmes (5-1) got the win on the mound. He pitched five innings and allowed four runs on five hits, with three strikeouts.
Jack Weber pitched the final 3 1/3 innings to get his second save of the season.
SLU and Cincinnati will play Game 2 of their series on Saturday. First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
| Logo | Team | Inning | Play Description | UC | SLU |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | SLU | 3rd | SMITH, C singled up the middle, RBI; CLOHISY advanced to second; MOORE scored. | 0 | 1 |
| SLU | 3rd | FOGARTY singled to third base, RBI; SMITH, C advanced to second; CLOHISY scored. | 0 | 2 |
| SLU | 3rd | MASTROS singled to right field, RBI; FOGARTY advanced to second; SMITH, C scored. | 0 | 3 |
| SLU | 3rd | RICHTER singled to center field, RBI; MASTROS advanced to second; FOGARTY scored. | 0 | 4 |
| SLU | 3rd | PRESTON singled to right field, RBI; RICHTER advanced to third; MASTROS scored. | 0 | 5 |
| SLU | 3rd | NEUWEG homered to left field, 3 RBI; PRESTON scored; RICHTER scored. | 0 | 8 |
| SLU | 3rd | MOORE homered to right field, RBI. | 0 | 9 |
 | UC | 4th | Kross, J. homered to right field, RBI. | 1 | 9 |
| UC | 4th | Jessee, H. homered to right field, RBI. | 2 | 9 |
| SLU | 4th | FOGARTY homered to right center, 3 RBI; SMITH, C scored; CLOHISY scored. | 2 | 12 |
| SLU | 4th | PRESTON fouled out to rf, SF, RBI; RICHTER advanced to third; MASTROS scored. | 2 | 13 |
| SLU | 4th | STRESSLER reached on an error by 3b; RICHTER scored, unearned. | 2 | 14 |
| UC | 5th | Cross, K. homered to left field, 2 RBI; O’Connor, T. scored. | 4 | 14 |
| UC | 6th | Mitchelle, C homered to left field, 2 RBI; Vidourek, L. scored. | 6 | 14 |
| UC | 6th | O’Connor, T. homered to right center, 2 RBI; Hegemann, J. scored. | 8 | 14 |
| UC | 7th | Kross, J. homered to right field, RBI. | 9 | 14 |
| UC | 7th | Vidourek, L. homered to right field, 2 RBI; Sefcik, L. scored. | 11 | 14 |
| UC | 9th | Kross, J. homered to right field, RBI. | 12 | 14 |
SAINT LOUIS BILLIKENS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Cincinnati | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Cincinnati | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. |
| March 28, 2024 (Thursday) | 3 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 29, 2024 (Friday) | 2 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 5, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 6, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 7, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| April 9, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Home | Southern Indiana | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 14, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Davidson | Billiken Sports Complex |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. |
| April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 pm | Away | Lindenwood | St. Charles, Mo. |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 28, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C |
| April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4 pm | Away | Butler | Indianapolis, Ind. |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | George Mason | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 7, 2024 (Tuesday) | 4 pm | Home | Lindenwood | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 3 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 12, 2024 (Sunday) | 12 pm | Home | Dayton | Billiken Sports Complex |
| May 16, 2024 (Thursday) | 3 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 17, 2024 (Friday) | 1 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 18, 2024 (Saturday) | 12 pm | Away | UMass | Amherst, Mass. |
| May 21, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Championship | Tysons, Va. (Capital One Park) |