EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. – Skyler Geissinger had two hits and a season-high three RBIs Tuesday against Saint Louis, but the Billikens proved too much for SIUE, scoring a 14-5 win in non-conference baseball at Simmons Baseball Complex.

The Cougars fell to 7-16 with the loss. Saint Louis, which has won seven of its last eight games, improved to 19-10.

Geissinger was one of four SIUE players with two hits. Denton Reed, Joel Greatting, and Drew Johnson all finished with a pair of hits for the Cougars, who finished with nine hits total. James Vazquez had the only other hit for SIUE.

"We swung the bats well enough to win tonight," SIUE Interim Head Coach Tony Stoecklin said. "Offensively I don't have any complaints with the way we handled ourselves."

The Cougars scored twice in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a pair of hits against Billikens starter Joe Powell. Reed led off with a single. Greatting was hit by a pitch with one out. Geissinger drove them both in with a double to right field.

Saint Louis responded with four runs in the top of the second against SIUE starter Sam Hopkins and never trailed again in the game. The Billikens scored an unearned run in the fourth inning to extend the lead to 5-2. Hopkins allowed five runs, four earned, on six hits over four innings. He fell to 1-2 with the loss.

Saint Louis extended the advantage to 9-2 with a four-run fifth inning against Cougar reliever Drew Staples.

SIUE cut the lead to 9-3 in the bottom of the fifth when Travis Becherer scored on a wild pitch.

The Billikens scored three more times in the sixth inning and added a pair of runs in the seventh inning to go up 14-3.

Saint Louis finished with 16 hits against six SIUE pitchers. Six different players finished with two hits for SLU. Billikens catcher Jake Henson was 2 for 4 with a team-high three RBIs. Third baseman Braxton Martinez was 2 for 4 with two RBIs. Shortstop Alex Sole also was 2 for 4 with two RBIs.

"I didn't think our young guys on the mound competed very well tonight," Stoecklin said. "They seemed uptight, and they seemed nervous. They couldn't relax and make the pitches they needed to make."

Geissinger picked up his third RBI of the game in the seventh inning when he singled to drive in Greatting.  Geissinger finished the game 2 for 5 with the 3 RBIs.

"Skyler's doing a nice job driving in runs. He's been productive at the plate," Stoecklin said. "He's handled himself pretty well at shortstop. It's not easy to ask a freshman to move from third base and play short. He's handled it well."

Greatting was 2 for 4 with a pair of runs scored.

The Cougars used 14 different position players throughout the game. Stoecklin said it was just a product of the way the game was going.

"You give everyone an opportunity to play on a night like tonight," he said. "It's a chance for me to take a look and see if someone's making progress - someone that might not normally get a look during a weekend series."

The Cougars return to Ohio Valley Conference play when Southeast Missouri comes to town for a three-game series beginning Friday at Simmons Baseball Complex. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.