April 20, 2005

Box Score

Brooklyn, NY - The St. John's University softball team dropped both games this afternoon at LIU Field on the campus of Long Island University. The Blackbirds took game one in six innings, 13-5 and followed up by winning the second, 2-1 in a pitcher's dual. The Red Storm fall to 17-26-1 overall, while Long Island improves to 14-23.

Long Island jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of game one, crossing the plate on two groundouts and a RBI single by Vanessa Mejia. The Blackbirds would add another run the next inning, taking advantage of two Red Storm errors for a 4-0 lead.

St. John's finally got on the board in the top of the third for a single run to shorten the deficit to 4-1. With two out, sophomore Tami Hill (San Diego, CA) doubled down the right field line to score junior Jo Sherlock (San Diego, CA).

In the bottom of the fourth, the Blackbirds put the game away with three more runs, expanding with lead to 7-1. Briana Mathiesen began the scoring with a RBI double to right center and would come around to score when Vanessa Mejia was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. The final run would cross as Leah Glenn beat out an infield single with the bases loaded.

The Red Storm would attempt a comeback in the top of the fifth inning, as they scored four runs for a 7-5 score. After an error and an infield single by freshman Bionka King (Grand Terrace, CA), Sherlock drilled a three-run home run over the right field fence, her team-high seventh of the season. Freshman Danielle Estrada (Moreno Valley, CA) followed with a single down the left field line and was moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out. Senior Jillian Sandoval (Orange, CA) came through by beating out an infield single to second base, scoring Estrada.

Long Island would instill the mercy rule by scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 13-5 final. The Blackbird accounted for the runs with a RBI single by Celina Castillo, a bases loaded hit by batter to Vanessa Mejia, and a pair of two-run singles by Leah Glenn and Briana Mathiesen.

Hill and King each had two hits in the first game, as Sherlock scored twice and drove home three.

Long Island again jumped out to an early lead in game two, behind a bases loaded wild pitch in the first and a RBI groundout in the second. The Blackbirds would take a 2-0 lead, proving all that they would need.

Sherlock kept the game at 2-0 by saving a run for the Red Storm in the bottom of the fourth as she robbed Randi Gillespie of a home run to begin the inning.

In the top of the fifth, the Red Storm finally broke through against Blackbird starter Chelsea Crosby to cut the deficit to 2-1. Sophomore Christina Tucker (San Diego, CA) led off with a single and was pinch run for by junior Blair Belloni (Newport, OR). After Belloni moved to third on a ground out and a wild pitch, junior Leigh Carlson (Howland, OH) drove her home with a sacrifice fly to deep center.

St. John's wasted a scoring opportunity in the top of the sixth inning, as they loaded the bases with no outs but failed to score. Singles by Oliver, Estrada and Hill loaded the bases, but senior Allina Sainz (San Diego, CA) grounded into a 1-2-3 double play and Sandoval followed with a groundout to the pitcher to end the rally.

Chelsea Crosby closed out the game for Long Island for the 2-1 win. Senior Meghan Allman (San Diego, CA) pitched well in the loss for the Red Storm, going the distance, scattering five hits and striking out two.

Hill collected two more hits in the finale, to go 4-for-5 on the afternoon.

The Red Storm return to BIG EAST when they travel to Notre Dame on Friday, April 22 to take on the Fightin' Irish in a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 4 pm.