(Courtesy: Saint Louis Athletics)
Brianna Lore hit her first Saint Louis home run in the seventh inning to cut a four-run deficit in half, but tournament host Mississippi held on to defeat the Billikens 5-3 Sunday afternoon in SLU’s final game of the Red and Blue Classic.
Saint Louis, which won four of five games in the tournament, is 6-3. Ole Miss improved to 10-6.
The Billikens trailed 5-1 when pinch hitter Katie Kroeger led off the seventh by bunting for a hit. Lore followed with a blast to left center that made it 5-3.
Pinch hitter Ellie Huffman continued the rally with an infield single, prompting Ole Miss to make a pitching change. Reliever Carly Hummel came on to retire the next three Billiken hitters.
Ole Miss struck for four runs in the second inning and a single tally in the sixth off Lore (4-3). Saint Louis scored once in the fourth on Alex Nickel’s two-out infield hit that plated Mackenzie Peter, who walked and advanced to third on two ground balls.
Lore added a single for her first multi-hit game as a Billiken, and Peter recorded a single.
Up next for the Billikens is the All-Missouri Cancer Classic Saturday and Sunday, March 1-2. The tournament, hosted by Southeast Missouri State in Cape Girardeau, features SLU, SEMO, Missouri State and UMKC. Saint Louis will play two games each day, beginning with Missouri State Saturday at 10 a.m.
