No. 23 St. John's Blanks Monmouth, 3-0

Friday, February 23

Cary, N.C. (USA Baseball National Training Complex)

3:00 PM

St. John's University

0-4

Monmouth University

5-0

Monmouth

St. John's

Sean Mooney struck out a career-high 11 batters

2/23/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score

Feb. 23, 2018

Final Stats | Box Score (PDF)

CARY, N.C. - Behind yet another stellar performance from the team's pitching staff, the St. John's baseball team won its fifth-straight game to start the season on Friday afternoon, taking down Monmouth, 3-0, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.

Sean Mooney proved phenomenal for the Red Storm (5-0) once again, tossing six innings of shutout ball to pick up the victory. He allowed just four hits and a pair of walks while striking out a career-high 11 batters. The sophomore from Marmora, N.J., held the Hawks (0-4) without a hit for 4.2 frames to start the contest.

Joe Kelly struck out three over two scoreless innings before handing the ball to Joe LaSorsa, who registered his third save in as many games with a nearly flawless ninth.

Four Johnnies recorded multi-hit games, led by graduate student John Valente. The New Rochelle, N.Y., native went 2-for-4 with a triple and an RBI, marking his fifth game in as many tries with two hits.

Luke Stampfl extended his season-opening hitting streak to five games, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.

Josh Shaw went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while redshirt freshman Ryan Hogan tallied the first hits of his collegiate career with a 2-for-3 showing.

St. John's plated the game's first runner in the bottom of the third, as Valente slapped a one-out triple to right before coming home on a Jamie Galazin sac fly to the warning track in left.

Monmouth put two runners on base in both the fifth and six innings, but Mooney managed to escape unscathed on both occasions.

In the home half of the seventh, the Johnnies added another run to push their lead to a pair. Mike Antico led off the frame with a single to center before moving to second on a Wyatt Mascarella sac bunt and taking third on a Chris Stefl grounder to the right side. Facing an 0-2 count in the following at-bat, Valente brought Antico home by pushing a single through the right side and putting the Johnnies ahead 2-0.

Following a scoreless top of the eighth, the Johnnies tacked on another in the home half. Stampfl singled up the middle before advancing to second on a wild pitch and moving to third on a Mark Venice grounder to the right side. Next up was Shaw, who roped a double to left and extended the St. John's lead to three.

Monmouth recorded a two-out infield single in the top of the ninth, but LaSorsa needed just one more pitch to record the game's final out and lock up his third save in as many tries.

St. John's will return to action tomorrow at 12:30 p.m., taking on the Retrievers of UMBC.