St. John's University Athletics
HOMEWARD BOUND: Red Storm Hosts Manhattan In Home Opener
3/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 19, 2014
- GAME NOTES: St. John's vs. Manhattan
- LIVE AUDIO (Subscription): Game One
- LIVE AUDIO (Subscription): Game Two
- Join The St. John's Softball Mailing List
- Donate To The Softball Indoor Batting Facility
Leading Off
- The Red Storm has won six of its last nine games, including a 3-1 performance this past weekend at the Delaware Spring Invitational to round out its five-tournament schedule.
- St. John's is 18-15 in program history when playing in its home opener, winning 11 of its last 14 including an 11-3 victory in six innings over Seton Hall on March 28 last season.
- The Red Storm is 101-89-2 when playing on Red Storm Field since it was built in 2001. During that time, St. John's is 4-0 when hosting Manhattan.
- St. John's holds an 11-8-1 all-time series record against its in-state opponent and is 6-2 when playing at home in Queens. After winning five straight meetings, the Red Storm dropped a doubleheader last season (March 13) that included a ninth-inning walk-off home run by Kate Bowen to lead Manhattan to a 2-0 victory.
- Senior Ashley Beza sat her first 11 batters in that game before Bowen was able to break up the perfect game with a single in the fourth. Beza finished the game pitching all 8.2 innings, allowing only three hits while striking out four despite the loss.
- Live audio (subscription) is available on RedStormSports.com with Ralph Bednarczyk (play-by-play) and Scott Greene (color) on the call.
- Live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com and fans can join in the conversation on Twitter (@StJohnsSoftball) by using #SJUSB.
Storm Tracker
- Senior Jackie Reed is averaging .343 this season with four home runs and four doubles and is 9-for-19 with runners in scoring position.
- Senior Kelsey Moyer has been a threat at the plate for the Red Storm as of late, batting .364 (4-for-7) over her last six games while leading the team with 12 walks this season.
- Freshman Lexi Robles has been a steady force for the Red Storm both defensively at second base and offensively, working 11 walks and three sac bunts while stealing a pair of bases.
- Sophomore Tori Free (6-7) has recorded 65 strikeouts through 61.2 innings this season and has held opponents to a team-leading .196 average after starting in 14 of her 15 appearances in 2014.
- Freshman Grace Kramer has the lone save for the Red Storm this year after closing out the game she started in a 4-3 win over Jackson State on Feb. 15.
Fitzgerald On Fire
- Freshman Kaitlin Fitzgerald has been fire as of late for the Red Storm, batting .500 (13-for-26) over her last nine games with two doubles, 10 RBI, four walks and a pair of sacrifice flies to lead the Red Storm to victories in six of its last nine games.
- The freshman third baseman picked up both the game-tying and game-winning runs against Robert Morris on March 15, sending a two-out RBI double into left to give St. John's a 3-2 walk-off win over the Colonials at the Delaware Spring Invitational.
- The two-time BIG EAST Player of the Week has also been solid defensively for St. John's, recording nine putouts and 20 assists over the last nine games without committing an error. The freshman's quick reflexes at third initiated the inning-ending double play in the sixth that built up momentum to lead the Red Storm to its walk-off the following inning.
Beza's Bouncing Back
- Senior Ashley Beza has been bouncing back for the Red Storm in the early goings of 2014 after suffering a season-ending injury last year when a line drive caught her in the face against Iona on April 13, 2013.
- After a 1-3 start to the season, Beza has gone 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA through five games, including a pair of complete-game shutouts and 10 strikeouts through 23.0 innings of work.
- The senior leads the St. John's pitching staff with a 3.11 ERA this season, making 13 appearances that includes five starts, while striking out 28 batters for a 4-3 record.
Doing Fine Over The Last Nine
- The Red Storm has won six of its last nine games, starting the rally with a 6-0 shutout over Western Carolina on Day One of the USF-Under Armour Showcase on March 7.
- St. John's pitching staff has been solid for the Red Storm during the last nine games, holding a 1.81 ERA with four complete games, three shutouts and 39 strikeouts through 62.0 innings of work.
- The Red Storm offense is batting .271 (62-for-229) during that time with 10 doubles and a home run for a .328 slugging percentage while working 22 walks and stealing 10-of-17 bases.
- Sophomore Carly Williams is batting .455 (5-for-11) after playing in five of the last nine games, starting in four. The designated player has ripped two doubles and three RBI while earning a pair of walks over those five games.
- Sophomore Tori Free has started in five of the last nine games for St. John's, throwing a pair of complete games and a shutout for a 1.50 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 23.1 innings of work, holding opponents to a .130 average.
- Senior Ashley Beza made six appearances for a 3-1 record and a 1.81 ERA after a pair of complete-game shutouts and 11 strikeouts over 27.0 innings.
Scouting Manhattan
- Manhattan is 3-10 this season heading into Queens after having to cancel its first nine games due to inclement weather and most recently finished 1-3 at the Capital Classic in Washington, D.C., on March 14-16, and a 3-2 walk-off loss to Columbia on March 18.
- The Jaspers finished the 2013 season with a 21-25 record, including a 9-7 conference mark in the MAAC to tie for fifth in the league.
- As a team, the Jaspers were ranked 23rd in the nation (as of March 16) in doubles per game (1.58), 79th in scoring (5.00 runs per game), and 53rd in triples per game (0.25).
- The Manhattan offense is led by Elena Bowman who (as of March 16) ranks 11th in the nation in slugging percentage (.842), 26th in on-base percentage (.547), 25th in home runs per game (0.31), 65th in doubles per game (0.31) and 50th in RBI per game (1.00) while batting .368 this season.
- The Jaspers pitching staff consists of a trio of Danielle Gabriel (1-2, 2.66 ERA), Kate Bowen (2-2, 4.78 ERA) and Amy Bright (0-6, 5.88 ERA).
- Head Coach Tom Pardalis is in his fifth season with Manhattan, leading the Jaspers to a 85-117-1 (.419) record.
On Deck
The Red Storm will open up conference action this weekend as it heads to Chicago, Ill., to take on BIG EAST preseason favorite, DePaul, in a three-game series on March 22-23. First pitch of the Saturday doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m. ET.
For all the latest news on the St. John's softball team, log on to RedStormSports.com and follow the team (@StJohnsSoftball) on Twitter. You can join the conversation with #SJUSB. If you would like to be added to the St. John's softball mailing list, send an email to stjcommunications@stjohns.edu with the subject line "Softball Mailing List".
Players Mentioned
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