St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Louisville
St. John's Swept In Doubleheader By No. 6 Louisville
4/29/2016 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After stranding 12 runners in an 8-4 loss to open the day, St. John's was held off by No. 6 Louisville, 6-5, in the second game as the Cardinals swept a doubleheader to open a three-game series.
Jesse Berardi finished 4-for-5 with a run scored in game one for St. John's (21-18-1), while Josh Shaw was 2-for-5 with two RBI and John Valente went 2-for-5 with a run scored. Kevin Torres (2-1) took the loss after allowing six runs, five earned, in 5.0 innings of work.
Corey Ray was 3-for-4 with two solo home runs in the opener for Louisville, while Brendan McKay went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. McKay (8-2) also tossed 6.1 innings of one-run ball for the victory.
Robbie Knightes went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBI in game two, while Alex Caruso was 2-for-4 and joined the program's 200-Hit Club with a ninth-inning RBI single. Ryan McAuliffe (4-1) took the loss after allowing six runs in 5.0 innings.
Will Smith finished 0-for-1 with two RBI and Devin Hairston was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs for Louisville in the second game. Drew Harrington (9-1) allowed three runs in 7.0 innings for the win.
After Torres worked a 1-2-3 bottom of the first of game one, St. John's threatened in the second before stranding a pair. Berardi started things with a one-out single and Knightes reached on an error. A groundout gave the Red Storm runners on second third, but McKay ended the inning with a groundout.
Torres retired his first five batters, but a two-out double by Blake Tiberi in the second set the table for a Danny Rosenbaum RBI single as the Cardinals took a 1-0 lead.
Louisville used the long ball to extend its lead as part of a three-run third. After a leadoff walk was erased by a caught stealing, Ray followed with a solo home run. Torres responded with a strikeout, but a hit batsman extended the inning and McKay followed with an RBI double. Hairston added an RBI single and the Cardinals led 4-0.
St. John's got a run back in the fourth after back-to-back singles opened the frame. Valente led off with a single and a Berardi single quickly set up runners on the corners with no outs. Knightes followed with an RBI fielder's choice and St. John's trailed by a 4-1 margin.
Louisville, however, answered with two runs in the fifth. Ray led off with a solo home run, his second of the game, before Drew Ellis reached on an error and Nick Solak singled. Following a double steal, Hairston gave the Cardinals a 6-1 lead with an RBI groundout.
St. John's opened up the sixth with back-to-back singles, but stranded runners on second and third. Berardi led off with an infield single, his third hit in as many at-bats, and Knightes followed with a single. A Jamie Galazin sacrifice bunt advanced both runners, but a strikeout and a groundout kept the Red Storm off the board.
David Moyer relieved Torres in the sixth and worked a 1-2-3 frame before consecutive two-out doubles in the seventh by Solak and McKay gave Louisville a 7-1 lead.
St. John's took advantage of an error to plate three runs in the eighth. Berardi started things once again with his fourth hit of the day, a leadoff single. Knightes then reached on a fielder's choice as an error on the play allowed Berardi to reach third. Gui Gingras followed with a one-out RBI single and Caruso was plunked to load the bases. Shaw then added a two-out, two-run single as the Red Storm pulled to within 7-4.
Rosenbaum added a solo home run in the eighth off Turner French for the final 8-4 margin.
St. John's sent seven men to the plate and grabbed the early lead in game two with a three-run first. Caruso led off with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch before Michael Donadio singled to set up runners on the corners. Shaw put the Red Storm on the board with an RBI groundout and Berardi extended the inning with a two-out RBI single. Knightes then gave the Red Storm a 3-0 lead with an RBI triple down the left field line.
The Red Storm could not take advantage of a one-out Valente triple in the third as Harrington got out of the inning with a pair of groundouts.
McAuliffe retired his first six batters before working in and out of a jam in the third. A hit batsman led off the inning before a walk and a sacrifice bunt set up runners on second and third with one out. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, McAuliffe rolled an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
Louisville, however, tied the game in the fourth. Solak led off with a single before McKay walked and Hairston put the Cardinals on the board with an RBI ground-rule double. Tiberi followed with an RB single and Smith leveled the score at 3-3 with a sacrifice fly.
The Cardinals loaded the bases and chased McAuliffe as part of a three-run sixth. McKay led off with a single before Hairston reached on a bunt single and Tiberi singled to load the bases. St. John's brought in Joe Napolitano and Smith gave Louisville the lead with a sacrifice fly. Rosenbaum followed with an RBI single and Colin Lyman gave Louisville a 6-3 lead with an RBI bunt single.
Harrington, meanwhile, retired 13-straight after the Valente triple before Anthony Fava singled with two outs in the seventh.
St. John's then took advantage of an error to score an unearned run against the Louisville bullpen. Reliever Jake Sparger retired the first two batters before Valente reached on a two-out error. Berardi then walked before Knightes made it 6-4 and sent the Cardinals back to the bullpen with an RBI single. Zack Burdi entered and ended the inning with a strikeout.
St. John's rallied for a run in the ninth, but Louisville hung on for the win. Pinch-hitter Mark Venice was plunked to lead off the inning and took second on a wild pitch. After Venice took third on a groundout, Caruso pulled the Red Storm to within 6-5 with an RBI single. Burdi, however, retired the next two batters to end the game.
St. John's concludes its series against No. 6 Louisville with a 1 p.m. game on April 30.
