Weather Restructures BIG EAST Opener against Providence

          QUEENS, N.Y. (March 22, 2019) – The St. John's softball team begins BIG EAST play this weekend, welcoming Providence to Red Storm Field with a restructured schedule. The three-game slate will start with a single game on Saturday, beginning at noon. The following day will feature a doubleheader to conclude the series, with first pitch slated for 11 a.m.

            Entering the opening weekend of conference action, St. John's is riding a three-game winning streak after defeating Holy Cross, twice, and Wagner at the St. John's Invitational. The Red Storm scored a combined 28 runs over the trio of games.

            Junior Marissa Rizzi secured her second BIG EAST Player of the Week honor after tearing up the competition at the St. John's Invitational. She was perfect at the plate in two of the team's four games and batted .700 on the weekend. The Manorville, N.Y., native extended her conference-leading home run count to eight after smacking three in as many days at Red Storm Field. She became just the fifth Johnnie to claim player of the week twice in a single season, joining Kaitlin Fitzgerald, Jackie Reed, Erin Burner and teammate Gretchen Bowie.

            Peyton Cody also joined fellow Johnnies Bowie and Kaitlin Mattera as the only current players to be named to the weekly honor roll as freshmen. The rookie catcher started all four games for St. John's, leading the conference with seven runs scored and ranking second with eight hits over the weekend.

            Senior Christina Melendez tied Loren Anguiano's program-record for RBIs in a game, registering six in the Johnnies' win over Wagner, 13-9.

            Heading into their matchup with Providence, the Johnnies have racked up 50 wins in 89 matchups against the Friars, dating back in 1981. In 38 seasons, the two programs have played in every year except three (1982, 1984, and 2010).

            Providence returns to Queens for the first time since 2016, when the Johnnies swept the three-game slate. The Friars (14-10) enter the weekend riding a four-game winning streak, defeating Florida A&M, Lafayette, Sacred Heart and Boston College. The BIG EAST foe has outscored its opponents, 28-2, over the four-game stretch, led by Vanessa Portillo. The Friars' senior registered six hits, four runs and six RBIs in that time.

            Over the last five campaigns, the Red Storm holds a 12-3 record and has won six of its last seven contests against Providence. St. John's has crossed the plate 47 times over the seven-game span.

            This weekend's games feature the BIG EAST's best hitting team and the conference's team-ERA leader. The Johnnies pace the BIG EAST with a slash line of .286/.440/.385. The Friars' 2.19 ERA sits 0.49 points lower than DePaul through non-conference play.

            Leading the charge in the circle for Providence is freshman Daniela Alvarez. The rookie sensation has posted a team-leading 7-3 record with 45 punchouts and six complete games. Her 1.40 ERA leads the BIG EAST and her seven wins ties St. John's Madison Morris for third place. The Santa Ana, Calif., native has held the opposition to a .236 batting average in 63.0 innings of work.

            Saturday's single game will be an audio-only stream on RedStormSports.com, followed by an ESPN3 doubleheader on Sunday. Tomorrow's game will also serve as the NFCA StrikeOut Cancer Game as well as Laced Up for Pediatric Cancer Day.

Weather Restructures BIG EAST Opener against Providence

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Players Mentioned

Gretchen Bowie

Peyton Cody

Kaitlin Mattera

Christina Melendez

Madison Morris

Marissa Rizzi

St. John's University Athletics