OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. -- At this time of year, most baseball teams dont get a week off. Most dont want one. The St. Johns baseball team had a weekend off as a result of a quirk in the BIG EAST Conference schedule and a cancelled game last night gave the team another free night. The rust showed on Wednesday, as the Red Storm posted a sloppy and sluggish 9-6 win over New York Tech at Presidents Field.

After taking the lead with a five-run first inning, senior starter Brian Dorsey (Smithtown, N.Y.) nearly gave it all back as the Bears scored four in the bottom of the inning. The Red Storm, however, scored runs in the third and fourth, and added two more in the sixth, en route to the win.

In the first, sophomore Anthony DeRosa (Salem, N.H.) and senior Jason Kane (Rutherford, N.J.) each singled and moved to second on third on a wild pitch. Another wild pitch scored DeRosa with the games first run. After a walk to sophomore Jeremy Winter (Cliffside Park, N.J.), freshman Jim Martin (Norwood, Mass.) reached on an error, scoring Kane. Sophomore Mike Rozema (Fair Lawn, N.J.) hit a two-out single to score Martin and junior Asa Grunenwald (Boalsburg, Pa.) followed with a two-run double down the right field line, scoring senior Bryan Hedgecock (Basking Ridge, N.J.), who had singled, and Rozema.

As quick as they took the lead, the Red Storm nearly gave it back, with Anthony St. George hitting a two-run single as the Bears narrowed the gap to one run.

In the third, Martin hit a leadoff single, moved to second on Hedgecocks walk and scored when Rozema laced a double down the left field line. They added another run in the fourth when DeRosa singled and stole second before being delivered home on a single up the middle from Kane.

Tech scored a single run in the bottom of the fifth off freshman Jim Wladyka (Rutherford, N.J.), but a two-run home run from DeRosa, his fifth of the season, scored senior Charlie Bilezikjian (Staten Island, N.Y.), who had hit a leadoff double.

Wladyka was strong in relief for the Red Storm, allowing one run on four hits over three innings. He picked up the win, improving to 2-4 this season. Senior Greg Holmes (Stony Brook, N.Y.) threw two innings of scoreless relief, while junior Mike Tamulionis (West Bridgewater, Mass.) threw the final two innings, earning his third save of the season.

The Red Storm return to action on Thursday, hosting Long Island at The Ballpark at 7 p.m. St. Johns will host Seton Hall in a crucial BIG EAST series this weekend. A doubleheader on Saturday begins at 1 p.m. and Sundays Mothers Day series finale begins at 1 p.m.