HEMPSTEAD, N.Y.  The St. Johns University softball team dropped a pair of one-run ballgames this afternoon to the Virginia Tech Hokies at Mitchel Field. SJU has now lost four in a row and falls to 28-29 overall and 6-10 in the BIG EAST. Virginia Tech improves to 34-23 and 10-8 in the league. Unable to produce offensively of late, the Red Storm has scored just one run in each of their last five BIG EAST games. In game one, sophomore Courtney Fitzgerald returned to the mound after missing a start yesterday due to tendonitis in her wrist. The Hokies jumped out to the early lead on an RBI-single by Amy Voorhees. But the Red Storm tied the game in the bottom of the fourth in part due to two Hokie errors. Junior Kelly Houghton lined a basehit to the centerfielder who bobbled the ball, allowing her to take second. Senior Lauren Fisher then lifted a fly ball to the opposite field which advanced Houghton to third. The right fielder made an errant throw into third base which got away and Houghton scampered home to score the tying run. In the top half of the fifth inning, Voorhees delivered again, lining a basehit to left field to score Carmen Farmer.

The Red Storm had a chance to tie the game again in the bottom of the seventh, when Fisher blooped a one-out double into short left field. Junior Marilyn Brown struck out for the second out of the inning, and head coach Melody Cope pinch-hit for first baseman Danielle Sweeney with outfielder Cecelia Baston. Baston, who worked the count to 2-2, fouled off several pitches before chasing a pitch on the outside part of the strike zone, which had been called a strike by the umpire all afternoon. Fitzgerald took the loss for the Red Storm, as she falls to 16-12. She gave up two runs on 10 hits, walked one and struck out five. Hokie starter Ashlee Dobbe picked up the win, striking out 11 batters while giving up just four hits.In the second game, the Red Storm continued to struggle at the plate, mustering only five hits. The Hokies, who went quietly in the first inning, reeled off six hits in the next two innings and assumed a 2-0 lead in the process. Mindi Wylie drove in the first run of the game with an RBI-double to right center. Then Virginia Tech smacked four straight basehits in the top of the third, one by Voorhees, which plated Farmer. Voorhees was 4-for-7 on the day with three RBI. Gina Calabrese escaped what could have been a disasterous inning by striking out Ali Verbage with the bases loaded to retire the side.

St. Johns got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Amy Crook lined a run-scoring single to left field, which scored Houghton. The Red Storm would have to try and come from behind again, trailing by a run in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch-hitter Brown stepped in with two outs and lined a grounder to the left side past the diving shortstop to keep the inning alive. Baston, who started the game in right, came in to run for Brown. The first pitch to Alesha Argeras scooted past the catcher, allowing Baston to move into scoring position. Argeras then hit the ball sharply to left, but it was snagged by the leftfielder as the Hokies escaped with another one-run victory.

Of the Red Storms 16 BIG EAST games, eight have been decided by one run or less, and SJU has won just two of those eight. Overall this season, the Red Storm are 6-12 in one-run ballgames.

The Red Storm close out the regular season next weekend with a pair of BIG EAST doubleheaders scheduled to be played at their new field on campus. On Saturday, May 5 the Red Storm host Connecticut at noon, followed on Sunday by a noon twinbill with Syracuse.