St. John's University Athletics
Manhattan Hosts Thursday Contest With St. John's
4/25/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball
QUEENS, N.Y. - Coming off of a 3-2 week, the St. John's softball team will look to secure a weekday victory in a contest with Manhattan College on Thursday in the Bronx. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Gaelic Park.
The Red Storm (18-23) is coming off its first series loss of the conferece season after dropping 2-of-3 at DePaul. Despite falling to the second-ranked team in the BIG EAST, the Johnnies managed to hold the Blue Demons to just four runs in three games, forcing two extra inning affairs.
The lone victory of the weekend for the Johnnies came in the top of 11th inning during the opener when Kaitlin Mattera belted a two-run dinger to help lift the visitors to a 4-2 victory.
Mattera dominated over five games last week, cumulating a .500 clip at the plate. Over the team's five-game stretch, Mattera also recorded a team-high eight hits in 16 at bats including a pair of doubles, five RBIs and home run to help her land a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll.
Pitching was key for the Red Storm over the team's five contests as the Johnnies surrendered an average of 2.0 runs per outing and did not allow more than three runs in a single game to post a 1.83 ERA.
McKenzie Murray was back to her winning ways for St. John's going 2-0 on the week and appearing in four of the team's five contests. The senior hurler posted a 1.20 ERA, allowing just three earned runs off of 13 hits in 20.1 innings of work. In addition, the Longmont, Colo., native struck out seven batters.
Krystal Puga continued to be an offensive machine for the Red Storm, hitting for a .353 average on the week while driving in three RBIs, off of six hits. The senior first baseman also recorded a pair of home runs to tie former St. John's shortstop and current volunteer assistant, Chrissy Montez, for the single-season record of 16. The Los Angeles native continues to lead the BIG EAST in home runs and ranks seventh in the nation.
St. John's owns a 15-9-1 advantage over Manhattan in contests dating back to 1992. The last time the two programs matched up was during the St. John's Invitational in March 2016 when the Red Storm shut out the Jaspers in a 2-0 victory.
Following the Thursday game with Manhattan, the squad will have quick turnaround as they travel to Providence to take on the Friars in a three-game set. The series will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday; first pitch is scheduled for noon.
