St. John’s Completes Sweep of Creighton, 8-7, on Sunday

Sunday, April 7

Omaha, Neb.

12:00 p.m.

St. John's University

18-16, 7-1

Creighton

11-17, 1-8

St. John's

Creighton

St. John’s Completes Sweep of Creighton, 8-7, on Sunday

4/7/2019 3:27:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score - Game Three

Red Storm has won nine of its last 10 games against the Bluejays

By: Dylan Smith

OMAHA, Neb. (April 7, 2019) – The St. John's softball team completed the sweep of Creighton on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Bluejays, 8-7, in Omaha.

The Red Storm (18-16, 7-1 BIG EAST) outscored Creighton, 29-16, while the teams combined for nine home runs in three games. St. John's batted .301 with a .639 slugging percentage and a .416 on-base percentage. The Johnnies have won nine of its last 10 contests against Bluejays.

Of the nine dingers hit this weekend, Christina Melendez smashed three of them, including one in each contest. The Fullerton, Calif. native smacked a two-run shot in the fifth inning of the final game to put the Red Storm up by seven.

Deuces ran wild for freshman Peyton Cody as she paced St. John's lineup with a pair of hits, runs and RBIs in the Johnnies' 18th win of the season. One of her two hits was a solo shot that eventually sealed the game for the Red Storm. The Johnnies' designated player also led the team over the three-game set, batting .545 with six hits and eight RBIs.

Juniors Marissa Rizzi and Gretchen Bowie recorded six runs each, combining for 12 of the Red Storm's 29 runs.

After a scoreless first inning, St. John's jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI single by Kaitlin Mattera after Cody reached on an infield single.

Following a three-strikeout inning by Morris in the home half, St. John's cracked the game wide open on a six spot in the third frame. Sophomore Amelia Ditolvo sparked the Red Storm offense with a solo shot to right center for her fourth homer of the season to take a two-run advantage. After Kaitlyn Lologo, Bowie and Rizzi all reached base safely, Cody drove a sacrifice fly down the right field line to score Lologo and extend the lead to three. In the next at-bat, Creighton's center fielder Ashley Cantu collided with shortstop Victoria Alvarez to force two more runs across and take a 5-0 lead. Following the Bluejays' miscue, Melendez smacked a two-run dinger to center, lifting the Red Storm to a 7-0 advantage.

The Bluejays (11-17, 1-8 BIG EAST) responded in the bottom of the third on an RBI single to right center to slash the Johnnies' lead to six, 7-1, before both squads were held scoreless in the fourth.

Cody pushed the lead back to seven, 8-1, in the fifth on a solo homer to center field, recording the sixth home run of her rookie campaign.

Creighton recorded four runs in the fifth inning, including a three-run home run by Mileah McKelvy to cut the Johnnies lead to three, 8-5. The St. John's lead was slashed to one, 8-7, in the bottom of the sixth frame on an RBI double by Cantu.

The Red Storm returns home for a midweek match against Manhattan on Wednesday, April 10, before heading to Seton Hall for a series beginning on April 13