St. John's University Athletics
Marissa Rizzi and Madison Morris Sweep BIG EAST Honors
3/4/2019 6:16:00 PM | Softball
The Red Storm duo dominates at the Madeira Beach Invitational III
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. (March 4, 2019) – After stellar performances by Marissa Rizzi and Madison Morris at the Madeira Beach Invitational III, the Red Storm duo have swept the BIG EAST Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, it was announced by the conference on Monday afternoon.
The accomplishment marks the first time in nearly three years that St. John's has swept the BIG EAST weekly honors, as Brittany Garcia and Grace Kramer last did so in May 2016.
Rizzi garnered the conference recognition after producing seven hits in 13 at-bats with a 1.308 slugging percentage over the four-game slate. The Manorville, N.Y., native also recorded three home runs, drove in six runs and scored six of her own in Florida.
After getting hit by a pitch twice in the Johnnies' 6-3 win over Boston College, Rizzi retaliated with a solo homer to left-center. The junior continued to produce for the Red Storm on day two, batting 5-for-8 against Chattanooga and Georgia Southern. Against the Mocs, she recorded three hits, three RBIs and two runs to match her game-highs. In the following matchup with the Eagles, Rizzi sparked the St. John's offense with a first-inning homer to left field.
Through 13 games in 2019, the Red Storm's first baseman paces the team in almost every statistical category including, batting average (.444), runs scored (12), home runs (5), RBIs (9), slugging percentage (.917) and on-base percentage (.512). This is Rizzi's second conference accolade of the season after making the conference honor roll in week one.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week Madison Morris dominated in the circle at Madeira Beach. The right-hander registered a 2-1 record with a 2.45 ERA along with 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings of work. She allowed four runs on nine hits in her three appearances, holding the opposing team to a .173 batting average.
Against Boston College, the Hampton, Va., native kept the Eagles' bottom three batters off the base paths, forcing them to go hitless in nine at-bats with three strikeouts. In the final game versus Georgia Southern, the senior hurler came on to relieve Angela Saric and shut out the Eagles through the final 4.2 innings. She also fanned eight batters and allowed just one hit to capture her fifth win of the season.
Just like her teammate, Morris has also received her second conference nod of the season after securing a spot on the honor roll in week two. Through the early part of her senior campaign, Morris has posted a 5-3 record with a conference-leading 52 batters in nine appearances. She has also held the opposition to a .215 batting average in 48.2 innings of work.
Rizzi, Morris and the Red Storm will return to action on Tuesday when they take on South Dakota State at 1:30 p.m.
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