St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
YALE
St. John's Wins A Pair Against Yale
3/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 19, 2006
QUEENS, N.Y. - The St. John's softball team improved its home record to 4-0 with two wins over Yale. The doubleheader featured two tightly contested games between the Red Storm and the Bulldogs but St. John's posted late rallies in both victories. The first game was tied until the bottom of the seventh, with the Red Storm taking the win, 3-2, while the second lasted 12 innings before St. John's defeated Yale, 7-6.
In game one of the doubleheader, freshman Lauren Lupinetti (Long Beach, Calif.) hit a walk off single in the bottom of the seventh to score Blair Belloni (Newport, Ore.) and give St. John's the edge.
Danielle Estrada (Moreno Valley, Calif.) got the offense going in the first inning with a walk off double to left field. One batter later, senior Jo Sherlock (San Diego, Calif.) belted a two run home run over the center field fence to give St. John's a 2-0 lead.
The Bulldogs fought their way back in the top of fifth off of a two run double by freshman Megan Enyeart. The score remained tied 2-2 until the bottom of the seventh.
On the mound, Kim Lerch (Glen Head, N.Y.) tossed a scoreless four innings before handing the game over to sophomore Lisa Geer (Anaheim, Calif.). Geer allowed two earned runs in the fifth but controlled the rest of the game and ultimately got her fourth win of the season.
Yale earned an early lead in game two when sophomore Aracelis Torres hit a two run home run in the top of the third, making the score 3-0. The hit marked Torres's first home run of the season. The Bulldogs added three more runs in the fourth off of three consecutive singles.
The Red Storm answered back with a late sixth inning rally to tie the score. The rookies put St. John's within reach for the second consecutive game. Lupinetti singled up the middle, driving in both Belloni and Tami Hill (San Diegoa, Calif.). Roxann Struble (Chino, Calif.) drove in an additional two runs, tying the score 6-6.
The two teams took the game another six innings as neither pitcher allowed more than one hit until the bottom of the 12th. Sherlock and Lupinetti took advantage of costly Bulldog errors and after Megan Oliver (Endicott, N.Y.) was intentionally walked, the bases were loaded. The first out was made on a fielder's choice as Sherlock was tagged at the plate. The bases were still loaded when Struble came up to bat. She drove in the winning run with a single to right field.
After posting four scoreless innings in game one, Lerch was relied on once again in game two. She relieved freshman Jessica Foley (Orange County, Calif.) in the third inning and would pitch nine more before securing her sixth victory of the season. She allowed one earned run off of ten hits and struck out four.
Overall for the day, Sherlock was 4-for-6 with three runs, two RBI and one home run, Struble was 6-for-10 with three RBI and one double and Lerch posted an ERA of 0.50
The Red Storm looks to bring its four game home win streak into Wednesday's doubleheader against Fairliegh Dickinson. The action will start at 2 p.m. on March 22 at Red Storm Field.
- Red Storm -
