St. John's University Athletics
St. John??' Softball Closes Regular Season Against USF, Louisville
5/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Softball
??? The St. John???s softball team closes out the regular season with its final BIG EAST doubleheader weekend. The Red Storm will host the USF Bulls on Saturday, May 5, beginning at Noon. The May 6th matchup will feature a two-game set against Louisville, slated to start at 11 a.m. Sunday will also serve as Alumni & Senior Day. St. John???s softball alumni will be honored before the games while the seniors will be recognized for their contributions to the program in between games one and two.
??? In the Red Storm???s last outing, St. John???s split a pair of games against Villanova in conference action. Despite one of her best BIG EAST pitching performances, starter Lisa Geer was tagged with a 1-0 loss in game one as the Red Storm???s offense struggled. Shauntaine Harris and Bionka King helped St. John???s bounce back in game two as the duo had an RBI apiece. Senior pitcher Kim Lerch worked for her fourth consecutive win in her last four starts. She did not allow a run to score over a complete seven innings and scattered only two hits. Lerch has given up only three earned runs in her last four appearances.
??? The USF Bulls are coming off their third sweep of a BIG EAST opponent, defeating UConn last Sunday, 3-1 and 8-0. Game one featured a three-hit, complete game from sophomore pitcher Cristi Ecks, who fanned nine and did not walk a batter. Kristen Gordon won game two, allowing three runs on eight hits with nine strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings. On the day, Caitlin Schneider led all USF players with an average of .500. Schneider, who was one of four players with a two-hit day, tied Courtney Mosch, Britta Giddens and Lauren Rodriguez with a team-best two RBI.
??? Louisville closed out the home portion of its schedule with a 2-1 loss to Evansville on Tuesday evening. Catherine Bishop took the loss, allowing two earned runs on two hits and striking out six in 4.1 innings. The Cardinals left runners in scoring position in all but two innings, stranding five in the game.
??? Listen to Rod Hissong call the action live from Red Storm Field by visiting www.RedStormSports.com and following the Multimedia link.
Last Time Out
St. John???s vs. Villanova
Game One: L, 1-0
Game Two: W, 3-0
??? The St. John???s softball team split a pair of games against BIG EAST foe Villanova on Thursday, dropping a 1-0 game one contest before taking a 3-0 victory in the second game. Senior pitcher Kim Lerch earned her fourth consecutive win in the circle for the Red Storm, tossing a complete seven innings and allowing only two hits.
??? Junior co-captain Bionka King went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI and one run scored for the day while rookie Shauntaine Harris was 5-for-7, blasting her first collegiate triple.
??? Starting pitcher Lisa Geer threw six innings of one-run ball but the offense couldn???t put anything together as the team lost to Villanova, 1-0, in the first game.
St. John???s in the BIG EAST
??? When ranked solely on performance in conference games, the Red Storm has one of the most potent offenses in the league. As a team, St. John???s lead???s the BIG EAST in hits (140), doubles (29), and triples (3) and is second in RBI (63) and third in runs scored (70) and home runs (12). The Red Storm???s .416 slugging percentage is fourth best in the conference and the squad ranks sixth with a .276 batting average.
??? The trio of senior Loren Anguiano, sophomore Roxann Struble and rookie Brandy Reyes can be found in nearly every top 10 offensive category. Reyes???s has more hits than any BIG EAST hitter this season and her .448 batting average in conference games ranks fourth among league competitors. She is second in on-base percentage (.500) and eighth in total bases.
??? Meanwhile, Anguiano and Struble are tied for second in runs scored (13) and fourth in total bases (36). Anguiano leads the league in doubles and is fifth in hits (21) and RBI (12). Struble has had a breakout season for the Red Storm as she is second in RBI (16) and home runs (5) and has been walked more than any other batter (11).
??? Junior Danielle Estrada and rookie Ona Halladay have also worked their way into the top 10. Estrada is tied for fourth in home runs (4) and is 10th in total bases (31) while Halladay is tied for third in sacrifice bunts (4).
Saving the Best for Last
??? The St. John???s softball team will honor its three seniors, Loren Anguiano, Tami Hill and Kim Lerch, on Sunday, May 6, for all of their contributions to the Red Storm. The seniors will be accompanied by their parents during a small ceremony that is set to take place in between games one and two against Louisville. During the seniors??? time at St. John???s, the softball team has won more than 90 games and made its first appearance at the BIG EAST Championship Tournament for the first time in more than a decade.
??? This season, the trio have each set career-highs in respective categories. Anguiano is having the most successful campaign of her career as she has posted career highs in batting average (.294), runs (33), hits (47), doubles (13), home runs (9), RBI (28), slugging percentage (.544), on-base percentage (.315), and stolen bases (7-for-8). Lerch, meanwhile, has once again battled through injury all season and is on a roll with four consecutive victories in her last four starts. After pitching only 73.0 innings over her first two season, the hurler has tossed a personal-best 150.0 and fanned 84 heading into the weekend. Her 30 appearances in the circle and nine victories are also career highs. Hill???s .343 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases are personal best???s for the four-year starting second baseman.
Ms. Consistency
??? Rookie Brandy Reyes has been the Red Storm???s most consistent hitter all season long and her hard work has started to earn her recognition around the BIG EAST. The catcher was named to the conference???s weekly honor roll after she hit .571 in a 5-3 week for the Red Storm. Overall, she is hitting a team high .400 at the plate with 60 hits, 16 runs, 17 RBI, nine doubles and two homers.
Storm Tracker
??? Senior Loren Anguiano is currently third on the team with a .294 batting average and has been hot at the plate as of late. She leads her team with 13 doubles, which is also a career high for the third baseman.
??? Junior co-captain Bionka King continues to have her best season in uniform for the Red Storm as she is hitting .309 at the plate, which is second among her teammates, with 16 runs, 38 hits, eight doubles and 15 RBI. Senior second baseman and fellow co-captain Tami Hill has become one of the Red Storm???s most reliable hitters. She is fourth on the team with a .278 batting average and 47 hits. Her 11 doubles is tied for second best on the squad with junior Danielle Estrada. Estrada is also having a solid season for the Red Storm as she has contributed 26 runs, 37 hits, 11 doubles, 17 RBI and a career-high four home runs.
??? Roxann Struble has come into her own in her sophomore campaign and made the BIG EAST???s Honor Roll for the week of April 2. Seven of her eight home runs have come in BIG EAST games. Overall, the infielder is hitting .263 at the plate and leads the team with 29 RBI and eight home runs.
??? Newcomers Shauntaine Harris, Ona Halladay, and Spring Montgomery have each had their moment to shine for the Red Storm. Harris???s 17 RBI is tied for third on the team and she has notched three home runs to go with her superb play in centerfield. Halladay posted her second double of the season in a conference game against Seton Hall and has 15 hits so far this season. Montgomery has driven in 10 RBI and four doubles, spending time as the first basemen, the designated player and making limited appearances in the circle.
??? In the circle, senior Kim Lerch has tossed 150.0 innings so far this season and is currently riding a four game win-streak. She has set a new career-high in strikeouts with 84 and has lowered her ERA to 3.78.
??? Junior pitcher Lisa Geer is just six strikeouts shy of her career high 138 K???s. She has been solid in the circle, allowing only four earned runs and fanning 17 over her last three starts.
Scouting USF
??? The Bulls are currently riding a six-game winning streak, tying its longest of the season. USF has won eight of its last 10 BIG EAST games this season and leads the all-time series with the Red Storm, 8-0, including winning the doubleheader in 2006, 2-0, 3-2 at USF.
??? Although the Bulls have already clinched a spot in the 2007 BIG EAST Championship, they are vying for positioning in the rankings. Currently, USF sits in a tie for second place with Louisville, who holds the tie breaker over the Bulls.
??? USF has four batters hitting better than .300. Dunbar leads her team with a .389 batting average while Danielle Urbanik has a team high 29 RBI and four home runs. Britta Giddens has 54 hits, 28 runs and 12 doubles. The Bulls are just as deep in the circle as three of their hurlers have double digit wins and a team ERA of 1.18. The Bulls hold opponents to a .220 batting average.
Scouting Louisville
??? The defending BIG EAST champions will look to lock up second place this weekend when it closes out the regular season. The Cardinals have lost five of their last seven games overall, six of which were BIG EAST contests.
??? Courtney Moore and Audrey Rendon anchor the Cards offensively as the duo lead in most categories. Moore has a team high .358 batting average to go along with 30 runs, 57 hits, 12 doubles, nine home runs and 35 RBI. Meanwhile, Rendon leads the conference with seven triples and is hitting .356. She also has 31 runs, 68 hits, eight doubles and 20 RBI.
??? The Cardinals rely on three different pitchers to toe the rubber with Kassie Stanfill and Kristen Wadwell each earning 11 wins. All-BIG EAST selection Catherine Bishop has eight wins on the season with a 2.23 ERA.
