St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
BYU
St. John's Drops Pair To BYU
3/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 8, 2009
PROVO, Utah - The St. John's baseball team twice rallied in the late innings, but ultimately dropped both ends of a double-header against BYU. The Red Storm fell 6-5 in game one and, after forcing extra innings, lost 7-6 in 11 frames in the nightcap. Brian Kemp combined to go 7-for-9 with four runs, while Greg Hopkins was 4-for-8 with four RBI to pace St. John's (2-6). Kent Walton was 4-for-7 with four RBI to lead BYU (7-6).
In the bottom of the first of game one, Walton led off with a double off the wall in left center. After starter Bruce Kern retired the next batter, he issued two-straight walks before a Jonathan Cluff sacrifice fly gave BYU a 1-0 lead. Kasey Ko followed with a bloop RBI single into left field to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead after one inning.
With one out in the second, Hopkins put St. John's on the board with a solo home run to right field.
Kemp led off the third by hustling to stretch a liner into right field into a double. After tagging up to reach third on a fly ball, Kemp trotted home to tie the score on a Jimmy Parque RBI single.
St. John's took its first lead of the game with a two-run fourth. Hopkins led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Carlos Del Rosario. After a single by Danny Benedetti gave the Red Storm runners on the corners, Gino Matias reached on an error by the shortstop that also allowed Hopkins to score.
After Kern had retired seven of eight batters, Ko led off the BYU fourth with a double off the wall in right and came around to score on an RBI double by Michael Bowen. J.T. Musso and Kent Walton followed with back-to-back singles as the Cougars tied the score at 4-4. Kern ended the inning with a pair of strikeouts.
Following a lead off walk in the fifth, Kern was lifted in favor of Nick Cenatiempo (0-1). The reliever walked his first batter before the runner at second was picked off by Benedetti. Ko then singled before an RBI groundout gave the Cougars a 5-4 lead.
Walton connected on a one-out solo home run in the sixth to give BYU a 6-4 lead.
With one out in the ninth, Kemp walked and Tim Morris singled through the right side to give St. John's runners on first and third with one out. Parque then sent a grounder to short and BYU took the lead runner, but Kemp scored from third. Reliever Brandon Michon, however, nailed down the final out to earn the save.
BYU manufactured a run in the first to take an early lead in game two. After Stetson Banks singled to lead off the inning, Bryce Ayoso walked and Walton moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Cluff then plated Banks with an RBI groundout.
The Cougars added two more runs in the third after a lead off double by Ayoso set the table for the inning. Back-to-back RBI singles by Walton and Cluff gave BYU a 3-0 lead. A two-out RBI single by Ayoso in the fourth put the Cougars up 4-0.
Kemp singled to lead off the fifth, his third hit of the game, and stole second. After Scott Ferrara was plunked, Kemp stole third before Parque drew a walk to load the bases. Hopkins then lifted a sacrifice fly into left field to plate Kemp and put St. John's on the board.
BYU extended its lead to 5-1 with an unearned run after a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
After Morris reached on an error to lead off the eighth, Del Rosario blooped a single into left field. With two outs, Kemp was beaned to load the bases and BYU brought in Jake Wortham. Ferrara greeted the lefty reliever with an RBI single into right field and Parque drew a walk to plate another run. Hopkins then doubled down the left field line on an 0-2 pitch to plate two runs and tie the game at 5-5.
In the bottom of the eigth, however, Thomas Bills doubled to the wall in center off reliever Miguel Valcarcel to plate the go-ahead run.
Down 6-5 in the top of the ninth, Morris led off with a single and stole second. With one out, Benedetti then singled into right field to plate Morris and tie the game at 6-6 and force extra innings.
Hopkins drew a one-out walk in the tenth, stole second and reached third on an errant throw by the catcher. Panik and Morris then drew consecutive walks before Del Rosario put the Red Storm up 7-6 with an RBI groundout.
BYU responded in the bottom of the tenth, however. After a lead off single, an error and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Dane Neilsen tied the game with an RBI fielder's choice.
Banks led off the eleventh with a single off of Rich Armento (0-1) and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. After an intentional walk, Armento was lifted for Eddie Medina. After Medina induced a groundout, Brock Whitney connected on a walk-off RBI single into left field to give BYU the 8-7 win.
St. John's continues its five-game road trip in Utah on March 9 with a 6 p.m., contest against Utah Valley.
