St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Depaul
Six-Run Eighth Fuels St. John's Split with DePaul
4/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
• Game One Box Score (PDF)
• Game Two Box Score (PDF)
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CHICAGO -- After a dropping a 3-0 decision to DePaul in the series opener on Saturday, St. John's softball bounced back with a six-run eighth inning rally to win 8-2 in its second game and split with the Blue Demons.
The Red Storm is 22-19 overall and 6-7 in BIG EAST play, while DePaul's record is now at 21-22 with an 11-2 conference mark.
GAME ONE: DePaul 3, St. John's 0
Despite giving up four hits, Grace Kramer took the loss as DePaul took advantage of a pair of home runs to defeat St. John's, 3-0.
Morgan Maize (16-12) was able to stifle the Red Storm offense, limiting them to four hits over 7.0 scoreless innings.
Kramer (12-11) was solid in her 11th complete game of the season. The junior righty allowed three runs on four hits and picked up five strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
Brittany Garcia led the Red Storm offense with two hits in three at-bats, her 11th multi-hit game of the season. Lauren Zick hit her fourth double of the year, while Yvonne Rericha had the other hit for St. John's.
After a scoreless first, Nicole Pihl hit a leadoff home run to center to put the Blue Demons on the board.
DePaul made it 3-0 in the fourth when Naomi Tellez hit a two-run home run down the left field line.
GAME TWO: St. John's 8, DePaul 2 (8 innings)
With the game tied in extras, St. John's offense came alive and jumped all over Morgan Maize for six runs on four hits to defeat the Blue Demons, 8-2, in eight innings. McKenzie Murray (3-4) picked up the win in relief, shutting down DePaul over the course of 5.0 innings. The sophomore righty was dominant out of the bullpen, recording six strikeouts and allowing only two hits to help St. John's pick up its first win over the Blue Demons since 2010. Kramer gave up two runs on four hits in 3.0 innings of work.
Maize (16-13) was tabbed with the loss as she failed to get out of the eighth after surrendering three runs in 0.1 innings. Megan Leyva surrendered five runs on nine hits in 7.2 innings.
Krystal Puga led the offensive attack going 3-for-4 with a home run and a walk. Christina Melendez hit a two-run shot in the eighth for her sixth home run of the season. Carly Williams came off the bench and notched a pinch-hit two-run double in the fourth. Garcia recorded her second multi-hit game of the day after going 2-for-4 with an RBI and walk. Rericha scored and drove in a run, while Monique Landini also posted an RBI. Hannah Anderson and Zick each scored for the Johnnies.
DePaul used a two-out rally to plate two in the first. After Kramer retired the first two batters she saw in game two, a triple by Maize set up Pihl, who hit a two-run home run for her second long ball of the day.
St. John's was able to tie the ballgame in the fourth. Puga and Warren led the inning off with singles and moved over to scoring position on a sac bunt by Melendez. That's when Williams came in to pinch hit for Anderson and launched a double off the left field wall to even the score at two.
Dominant pitching down the stretch from Murray forced extra innings.
Puga led the eighth off with a solo shot to break a 2-2 tie. Two batters later, Melendez sent a ball over the centerfield fence to plate Warren and make it 5-2. With the bases loaded, Rericha brought in Anderson on a bunt single before Landini's sacrifice fly scored Zick. The Red Storm extended the lead to six runs when Garcia ripped an RBI single up the middle.
Tomorrow's rubber match is set for noon (ET) and will be aired on BEDN.
