SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. -- Two years ago, an unheralded, hard-throwing freshman for the St. Johns baseball team opened up eyes with a complete game and 10 strikeouts against a tough Seton Hall team. Two years later, that same pitcher  two years wiser and even tougher after undergoing Tommy John surgery  nearly outdid his debut.

Red Storm junior Joe Reid (Rutherford, N.J.), pitching near his hometown, threw a seven-inning shutout and led St. Johns to a 3-0 win over Seton Hall in the opening game of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field. The Pirates scored five runs in the first two innings of the second game en route to an 11-1 win.

Reid, however, was the story of the day. The junior, who has been brilliant in the last month of the season, drew a large showing of Major League Baseball scouts, and he did not disappoint, going seven innings and allowing only five hits  all singles  with three walks and eight strikeouts. In his last four conference starts, he has thrown 24 innings, allowing only five earned runs on 19 hits, with 27 strikeouts for a 1.88 earned run average.

Two years ago, Reid struck out 10 and went nine innings in a no-decision, also at Seton Hall, just a 15-minute drive from his hometown.

The Red Storm had a fantastic opportunity for a big lead in the first inning  loading the bases with none out  but Seton Hall freshman starter Tim Sabo got out of the jam. St. Johns would put runners on base in the second and fourth innings, respectively, but Sabo kept the lineup in check until the fifth. Senior Billy Graiser (Muttontown, N.Y.) hit a one-out triple to the gap in right-center, coming a slip around first base away from an inside-the-park home run. Graiser got help one batter later when junior shortstop Mike Rozema (Fair Lawn, N.J.) hit a single to right, bringing the run home for a 1-0 lead.

That was all Reid would need. The Pirates had base runners in every inning, but only twice did runners reach scoring position. In the fourth, he issued a leadoff walk and gave up a single before striking out two batters, and inducing a popup. In the fifth, back-to-back two-out singles put runners on the corners, but a fly ball ended the inning. The only time he retired the side in order came in the seventh, when he struck out the final batter  looking  to end the game.

The Red Storm gave Reid two more insurance runs in the sixth. Junior Anthony DeRosa (Salem, N.H.) and freshman Greg Thomson (Levittown, N.Y.) each reached base on a fielders choice and scored when senior catcher Asa Grunenwald (Boalsburg, Pa.) blooped a double to left.

In the nightcap, freshman starter Anthony Varvaro (Staten Island, N.Y.) gave up five runs in the first two innings and the Red Storm were held to one run on five hits as Seton Hall cruised to the win.

St. Johns (29-26, 12-13 BIG EAST) closes out the regular season on Sunday with a single game against Seton Hall. First pitch is slated for noon.