St. John's University Athletics
St. John's Readies for Hofstra Invitational
3/11/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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QUEENS, N.Y. -- Coming off a runner-up finish on Sunday at the Tennessee Invitational, St. John's returns to action this weekend when the squad travels to Hempstead to play a pair of games against Connecticut and Hofstra beginning on Saturday.
The Red Storm opens play against former BIG EAST foe Connecticut on Saturday at 11 a.m. before taking on Hofstra immediately following game one. On Sunday, St. John's takes on the Pride at 11 a.m. before a matchup with the Huskies at 4 p.m. This weekend's tournament format is round robin style. Each win will count for two points with the most total points determining the winner of the tournament.
Series History
UConn holds a 17-56 all-time record against St. John's.
Hofstra is 12-31-1 all-time against the Red Storm.
Storm Tracker
St. John's went 3-2 last weekend and finished runner-up at the Tennessee Invitational in Knoxville, Tenn. The Red Storm run-ruled Green Bay, 10-0, and defeated UAB in two seperate occasions, 3-2. Both losses were to No. 16/20 Tennessee.
Last weekend, Savannah Warren broke a 2-2 tie in the sixth with a solo home run against UAB to send the Red Storm into the championshup game. Krystal Puga led the way with five RBI, fueled by the first grand slam of her career. Brittany Garcia hit her first home run of the season as she hit .308 for the weekend.
The pitching staff did an impressive job in the circle last weekend, allowing two runs or less in three of the team's five games. Tori Free struck out 10 and went 1-1 with a 2.14 ERA in 16.1 innings.
Offensively, St. John's is outscoring its opponents 69-to-64 on the season with 11 home runs to four, including two grand slams.
The Red Storm is hitting .277 as a team, while holding its opponents to a .237 batting average with impressive performances in the circle.
Offensively, St. John's is outscoring its opponents 51 to 45 on the season. The team has accounted for 16 doubles and 11 home runs, while opponents have produced only seven doubles and four long balls against them.
St. John's pitching continues to be difficult to hit as opposing hitters are batting .241 and have struck out 80 times.
SCOUTING REPORT: Connecticut Huskies (4-14, 0-0 AAC)
Connecticut snapped a nine-game losing streak on Sunday when they beat Michigan State, 8-3, behind a six-run, three-hit inning to take down the Spartans.
As a team, the Huskies are hitting .211 and have scored four runs in 18 games.
Senior OF Alyssa Gardea is the team's top hitter with a .280 batting avarage. She has seven RBI and five runs scored on the season.
Freshman OF Kelli Bates is second on the team, hitting .270 with two RBI, while junior Taylor Townsend is hitting .264 with four RBI.
Freshman Jill Stockley leads a staff that holds a 3.46 team ERA. Stockley is 3-6 on the season with a 2.30 ERA. She has 31 strikeouts and three shutouts over 51.2 innings.
Sophomore Chelsea Eckert (1-7) picked up her first win of the 2016 season against the Spartans after tossing a complete game with three runs, six hits and three strikeouts. Eckert is 1-7 with a 4.74 ERA in 41.1 innings pitched.
SCOUTING REPORT: Hofstra Pride (8-7, 0-0 CAA)
Hofstra heads into its first home series with an 8-7 record after going 2-3 two weekends ago at the Uconquered Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Pride are coming off its 16th NCAA appearance after going winning the Colonial Athletic Association with a 17-3 conference mark.
Sophomore catcher Brittany Allocca is hitting a team-leading .381 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
Senior third baseman Kim Smith and sophomore outfielder Brielle Pietrafesa are the other two Pride players to reach double digits in RBI as each has driven in 10 on the season.
Senior outfielder Caryn Bailey, Kim Smith and Brittany Allocca give Hofstra three starters with a .300 batting average or better.
Junior pitcher Jessica Peslak and freshman Madison Grimm have accounted for every decision for the Pride this season. Peslak already has racked up a career high in victories with a 5-4 record. Grimm is 3-3 with one save in logging 31.1 innings. Fellow freshman Courtney Scarpato has two saves and leads the team by posting a 1.31 ERA.
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 the hashtag, #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".
