St. John's University Athletics
Softball Rallies From 11 Run Deficit To Split With Syracuse
4/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Just one out away from taking an 11-0 loss to Syracuse, the St. John???s softball team rallied back to score 11 runs over the sixth and seventh innings. A solo home run from rookie Brandy Reyes broke up an 11-11 tie in the 10th frame and secured a 12-11 game two victory. The Red Storm split its doubleheader with the Orange, dropping game one 3-2 (8). St. John???s is now 15-30 overall, 4-10 in the BIG EAST.
Game One:
St. John???s and Syracuse took a scoreless game into the eighth inning. Starting pitchers Lisa Geer and Brittany Gardner battled it out in the circle as neither pitcher allowed a run to score until the eighth. The Orange loaded the bases twice during the game, but Geer kept her cool, working out of trouble in the third and the fifth frames. Despite another solid outing by the right hander, Geer took the 3-2 loss.
Syracuse started the top of the eighth with consecutive singles from Heather Kim and Rachel Tilford. Chanel Roehner???s double drove in the Orange???s first two runs of the day and Roehner eventually came home to post Syracuse???s third run.
The Red Storm rallied back in the bottom of the side as Tami Hill led off with a double to center field. Sophomore Roxann Stuble got St. John???s on the board with an RBI triple and was plated by Danielle Estrada to put the team within one. Spring Montgomery kept the game alive with a shot to left-center, chasing Gardner from the game.
Syracuse???s Roehner came in to get the final out of the game and picked up her second save of the season as St. John???s could not over come the one run deficit.
Rookie Brandy Reyes and Estrada were each 2-for-4 in the first game.
Game Two:
Syracuse kept its momentum in game two, scoring four runs in the first inning and three more in the third. The Orange led 11-0 after Tilford???s three-run homer capped another four-run frame for Syracuse.
With game two on the line in the sixth inning, the Red Storm started the rally to climb back into the game. Rookie Reyes was walked to start the side and Estrada doubled down the right field line to put runners in scoring position. Montgomery plated Reyes to put St. John???s first run on the board. St. John???s captains Bionka King and Hill singled to keep the game alive and set the table for Loren Anguiano. The Red Storm had two outs recorded in the inning when Anguiano stepped to the plate, but the senior third baseman would not be denied, belting a walk-off grand slam to make it an 11-6 game.
The bottom of the seventh inning once again started with Reyes who fired a double to center field. Montgomery was walked, King singled and when Ona Halladay was walked, Reyes was forced across the plate to score another run for the Red Storm. Back-to-back two-RBI singles from Hill and Anguiano tied the game.
Once again, the two teams took the game into extra innings. After a rocky start, Geer re-entered in the eighth. She tossed three innings of hitless relief while fanning two.
Reyes, leading off the bottom of the tenth inning, rocketed a solo home run over the left field fence and helped her team secure a 12-11 victory.
The 11-run come-back is the best the team has overcome all season and was a true team effort. Reyes was 5-for-9 with one double and one home run. Hill was 5-for-10 with three runs, three RBI and a double while Estrada was 4-for-8 with a run, a double and an RBI. Anguiano finished with 6 RBI and four hits. Every member of St. John???s lineup scored a run or posted a hit.
Geer picked up her seventh win of the season overall and third in BIG EAST action.
St. John???s is next in action Sunday morning when it hosts Pittsburgh in an 11 a.m. doubleheader at Red Storm Field.
