St. John's University Athletics
Red Storm Baseball Drops Doubleheader to Boston College
4/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The Red Storm fall to 21-19 overall and 9-10 in the BIG EAST with the losses, their fourth in the last five conference games.
The Red Storm jumped on top in the second inning of the second game when senior right fielder Billy Graiser (Muttontown, N.Y.) doubled to center and scored on a single up the middle from junior designated hitter Ray Downs (New Rochelle, N.Y.).
Boston College (23-16, 13-6 BIG EAST), however, took the lead for good with two runs in the second and two more in the third off senior starter Greg Holmes (Stony Brook, N.Y.). The Red Storm narrowed the gap with a run in the fifth on Graiser's RBI double, but BC added single runs in the fifth and sixth, and two more in the eighth for the 8-2 win.
Holmes went 7.0 innings, allowing six runs on 14 hits, walking none and striking out three batters, as he fell to 5-3. Boston College starter Chris Lambert went eight innings, gave up two runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out 12 batters as he improved to 8-2.
In game one, Boston College scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, coming back from a 3-1 deficit for the 4-3 win.
The Red Storm had taken a 1-0 lead in the first when Graiser walked, stole second and scored on a single to center from senior centerfielder Charlie Bilezikjian (Staten Island, N.Y.).
The Eagles came back to tie the game in the bottom of the third, with Jason Delaney singling and eventually scoring on an error, but the Red Storm scored twice in the top of the fourth to take the lead again.
Senior third baseman Jason Kane (Rutherford, N.J.) was hit by a pitch and freshman Jim Martin (Norwood, Mass.) walked before a sacrifice bunt from Downs moved the runners over. Junior catcher Asa Grunenewald (Boalsburg, Pa.) followed with s single up the middle, scoring both runners and giving SJU a 3-1 lead. Freshman starter Jim Wladyka (Rutherford, N.J.) was impressive in the early goings, retiring the first six batters, and left the game leading 3-2 in the sixth after walking Drew Locke to lead off the inning. Senior Vinnie Mannese (Marlboro, N.Y.) relieved Wladyka and hit Delaney. A single to right from Vinny Scavone brought home Locke with the tying run. With runners on the corners, Eagles shortstop Ryan Morgan hit a single off junior reliever Tom Klemm (Salem, N.H.), scoring pinch runner Matthew Duffey, and giving the hosts a 4-3 lead.
BC starter Chris Lambert, who improved to 8-0 with the win, retired the side in order in the seventh.
The Red Storm and Eagles close out the three-game series on Sunday with a single game beginning at noon.
