St. John's University Athletics
St. Johns Baseball Falls to Coastal Carolina, 7-4
3/4/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
The loss ends the Red Storms three-game win streak and drops the team to 3-4 overall.
St. Johns had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a solo home run from sophomore Brett Hardie (Toms River, N.J.) and added two more runs in the third on run-scoring singles from sophomore Jim Martin (Norwood, Mass.) and senior Billy Graiser (Muttontown, N.Y.).
Leading 3-1 in the fourth, freshman starter Anthony Varvaro (Staten Island, N.Y.) gave up a two-run double to Ryan McGraw tying the game. Coastal loaded the bases with none out in the bottom of the sixth, and scored two runs, on Brett Grandstrands groundout and a sac fly from Brandon Powell, taking a 5-4 lead.
The Red Storm added a run in the sixth when senior Ray Downs (New Rochelle, N.Y.) hit a leadoff single and scored on a triple to left-center from sophomore Blake Hershelman (Georgetown, Del.). Hershelman was put out at home on a ground ball, and the Red Storm eventually loaded the bases with two out, but Chanticleers reliever Byron Binda retired the final batter to escape the jam.
Graiser went 3-for-5 with one RBI, while Hershelman finished 3-for-4 with one RBI. Varvaro went five innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on nine hits). He walked three batters and struck out two.
Single runs in the seventh and eighth extended the lead for Coastal Carolina (11-2) en route to the win.
St. Johns continues its Southern trip on Wednesday, playing Coastal Carolina at 3 p.m.
