ST. LOUIS (Interstat) — Chris Schaller homered twice and drove in four runs as the Richmond Spiders outlasted the Saint Louis Billikens 26-24 on Saturday afternoon in an Atlantic 10 slugfest at Billiken Sports Center.

The game featured 50 combined runs, 34 combined hits, eight lead changes and a nonstop offensive assault that defied all projections. The Spiders improved to 33-22 overall while the Billikens fell to 20-34.

Schaller, the top star for Richmond, went 4 for 7 with a pair of solo homers — one in the second inning that wiped out a 5-0 deficit and another in the sixth that tied the score 20-20. He also stole a base and scored four times. Evan Wilson contributed a 3-for-6 day with six RBIs, including a three-run double in the seventh that gave Richmond its final cushion. Noah Haught added three hits and three RBIs from the shortstop spot.

For Saint Louis, Hank Gomric collected five hits in six at-bats with three RBIs, and Ian Blazier went 4 for 4 with four RBIs before leaving for a pinch runner. Chase Beattie drove in six runs, including a three-run homer in the second and a sacrifice fly in the first. Ian Halverson had two hits and three RBIs.

The Billikens jumped ahead 5-0 in the first inning, capitalizing on a Richmond throwing error and a catcher’s interference call. Beattie’s sacrifice fly and a wild pitch brought home the early runs. But Schaller’s first homer highlighted a five-run second for Richmond, and the teams traded blows until the score was knotted at 8-8 after two.

Saint Louis seized a 16-9 lead in the fourth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate. Blazier’s two-run single and Halverson’s RBI knock highlighted the seven-run frame. Richmond answered immediately in the fifth, scoring eight runs on a Johnson Jr. three-run homer and a two-run single from Haught to regain a 19-16 edge.

The Billikens countered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth, retaking a 20-19 lead on Halverson’s two-run double. Schaller’s second homer in the top of the sixth tied the game, and Wilson’s RBI double put Richmond ahead 21-20.

The most pivotal sequence came in the top of the seventh. Richmond loaded the bases on a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch. After O’Keefe’s sacrifice fly made it 23-20, Wilson cleared the bases with a double to center field, stretching the lead to 26-20. Saint Louis chipped away with two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Gomric and a groundout from Beattie, pulling within 26-23.

The Billikens made one last push in the ninth. K. Bond, who had entered as a pinch runner and moved to right field, led off with a solo homer to cut the lead to 26-24. After two outs, Gomric singled and Beattie walked. Jacob Canzoni delivered an RBI single, but Mike Arnold struck out looking to end the game.

Richmond used eight pitchers. Chayse Gruber earned the win with 4 2/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing no hits while striking out three. Dylan Gormont pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings for Saint Louis, yielding one hit and striking out one. Max McGwire tossed 1 1/3 hitless innings for the Billikens.

The Spiders had won the first two games of the series by scores of 2-0 and 4-1. The 50 runs shattered any expectation. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Richmond 6, Saint Louis 4, and Interstat’s ELO system gave Richmond a 57.80 percent probability to win. Neither forecast anticipated the offensive explosion that unfolded on a warm St. Louis afternoon.