St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
UNC Greensboro
St. John’s Gears Up for Gamecock Invitational
2/14/2019 3:34:00 PM | Softball
The Red Storm will play four games, including a matchup with No. 14/14 South Carolina
QUEENS, N.Y. (Feb. 14, 2019) – After opening the season with a 2-3 record at the FAU "First Pitch" Classic, St. John's heads to South Carolina for the Gamecock Invitational, starting on Friday, Feb. 15. The Red Storm is scheduled to play four games over the course of three days in Columbia, S.C., including a matchup with its second ranked opponent this season, No. 14 South Carolina.
The Red Storm kicks off its second road trip against UNC Greensboro at noon on Friday. The two teams square off again the following day with first pitch slated for 12:30 p.m., before St. John's takes on Campbell at 5:30 p.m. The Johnnies wrap up the invitational with the Gamecocks on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
St. John's is coming off wins over 2018 MEAC Champions Bethune-Cookman and Virginia in Boca Raton, Fla. The Red Storm compiled 10 runs on 17 hits in its two victories.
Senior Madison Morris tied the program record for strikeouts in a game when she struck out 15 against Florida Atlantic. She joined Lisa Geer and Kat Lawrence as the only Johnnies to accomplish the feat. Before tying the record, the right hander's previous best came against Idaho State last season when she fanned 14 batters in her complete game shutout.
The Johnnies' first baseman Marissa Rizzi received the team's first BIG EAST accolade of the season after being named to the conference Honor Roll. She kicked off the 2019 campaign with a solo home run in her first at-bat of the season against No. 6/7 Georgia. The Manorville, N.Y., native batted .462 with six hits in 13 at-bats and three RBIs in Boca Raton, Fla. This marked the second time in the Rizzi's career that she had earned the weekly honor. Her first recognition came on April 2, 2018, when she impressed the BIG EAST with an identical .462 batting average by going 6-for-13 with a home run in games against Iona and conference foe Georgetown.
Riding a three-game hitting streak into Columbia is rookie Meisha Murray. The Santa Clarita, Calif., native received the starting nod against Bethune-Cookman and jumped at the opportunity. She strung together timely hits, including an RBI single against Virginia.
Much like Murray, fellow freshman Kamryn Tiumalu cracked the starting lineup in the Johnnies' first win of the season against the Wildcats as well. The younger sister of Assistant Coach Alyssa Tiumalu registered a multi-hit game in her first collegiate start, finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
The Johnnies take on UNC Greensboro in the first two games of the Gamecock Invitational, their first meeting since 2011. Leading the charge for the Spartans is sophomore Makenna Matthijs, who rides a five-game hitting streak into the weekend opener against St. John's. The Red Storm pushed its all-time record against the Spartans to 4-6 when they took down UNC Greensboro, 13-7, eight years ago.
Following its two matchups with the Spartans, St. John's will square off against Campbell. The Camels hold a 4-1 record against the Red Storm in five meetings since 1997. The Johnnies were able to snap their winless record against the Camels with a 1-0 victory in 2012. In that matchup, St. John's pitcher Ashley Beza tossed a three-hit, complete game shutout to give the Red Storm its first win.
In the Johnnies' final game of the weekend, they take on No. 14/14 South Carolina. The Gamecocks were upset twice at the Puerto Vallarta Challenge on Feb. 8-10. Their losses to No.18/19 Baylor and North Carolina forced South Carolina to drop six spots in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches' Poll. In the teams' first-ever meeting last season, the Gamecocks defeated the Johnnies, 6-3.
Fans can follow the each game on Twitter and Instagram (@StJohnsSoftball) using the hashtag #SJUSB. Live stats will be available for all four Red Storm games and can be found on our schedule page.
