Red Storm to Welcome Manhattan for Midweek Showdown

The St. John's softball team will look to extend its longest winning streak of the season to four in its matchup with Manhattan on Wednesday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday's contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 and live stats will be available on RedStormSports.com

Freshman Peyton Cody became the first Red Storm rookie in program history to be selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times after recording a team-high seven hits and 12 RBIs over four games last week. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native ranks 19th in the country with RBIs per game (1.16) and 71st in batting average (.413).

Cody has been on a tear since the Red Storm's home opener on March 15. She has registered hits in all 14 games after the USF Series and is batting a team-best .489 with 23 hits and 25 RBIs along the way. The Johnnies' rookie is also riding an eight-game RBI streak heading into Wednesday's contest.

Seniors Madison Morris and Christina Melendez showcased stellar performances against Creighton. Morris joined Cody on the conference honor roll after earning two wins and a save three appearances this past weekend. After punching out 22 batters in the three-game set, the Hampton, Va., native moved into 39th place in the NCAA with 139 strikeouts on the season.

Melendez relied on the long ball against the Bluejays, doubling her season home run total from three to six after registering at least one home run in all three games over the weekend. She knocked in seven RBIs, including three on a game-tying home run in game two. The Johnnies' right fielder will look to extend her home run streak to four against the Jaspers.

St. John's statistical leader Marissa Rizzi is 23rd in NCAA in slugging percentage (.847), 24th in runs per game (1.16), 39th batting average (.429), and 40th in home runs (11). The Manorville, N.Y., native went 5-for-11 with seven runs scored and three RBIs in four games combined last week. Additionally, one of her five hits came via the long ball, extending her BIG EAST lead to 11 on the season.

Fellow junior Gretchen Bowie also recorded five hits last week while scoring a team-high eight times and driving in four runs. After a slow start to the season, the Sparta, N.J., native has come on strong in the last 10 games, batting .364 with four home runs and 14 runs scored.

The Red Storm is 7-3 in its last 10 contests, averaging 7.9 runs per game over that span. As a team, the Johnnies rank 27th in the nation in slugging percentage (.497), 33rd in home runs per game (1.09), 46th in runs scored per game (5.50) and 51st in batting average (.299).

St. John's holds a 15-10-1 edge over Manhattan in the all-time series, outscoring the Jaspers, 92-55.

Manhattan enters Wednesday's contest with a 12-19 record after dropping four of its last five games. The Jaspers' lone win came against Fairfield, 3-2, on Saturday after the winning run crossed on a fielder's choice in the sixth.

Senior Lauren Pitney leads the charge offensively for Manhattan, with a slash line of .393/.726/.567 with 33 hits, 25 RBIs and 23 runs scored through 31 starts this season. She also leads the MAAC in slugging (.726), on-base percentage (.567), home runs (7), and walks (30).

Through her first 20 starts for the Jaspers, freshman Annie Moore has recorded 28 hits and 22 RBIs. She is also tied with Adriana Gambino for the team-lead in doubles (9).

All three Manhattan pitchers, Kayla McDermott, Jessie Rising and Stephanie Kristo, have four wins on the season and have combined for 117 strikeouts and a 4.60 ERA.

Last season, Manhattan defeated St. John's, 4-3, despite allowing the Johnnies' record-breaking 46th home run of the season on a three-run homer by Bowie.

Jaspers' Head Coach Tom Pardalis enters his 10th season at the helm of the program, recording seven 25-win seasons and the program's first 30-win season in 2016. His squad ranks 36th in the country, averaging 1.58 doubles per game.

Red Storm to Welcome Manhattan for Midweek Showdown

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Players Mentioned

Gretchen Bowie

Peyton Cody

Christina Melendez

Madison Morris

Marissa Rizzi

St. John's University Athletics