St. John’s Drops Series Finale to Charlotte, 10-8

Sunday, March 1

Charlotte, N.C. (Hayes Stadium)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

3-6

Charlotte

8-4

St. John's

Charlotte

St. John’s Drops Series Finale to Charlotte, 10-8

3/1/2020 4:31:00 PM | Baseball

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Red Storm cut into the deficit late, but could not close the gap

By: Andrew O'Connell

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (March 1, 2020) – For the second straight day, the St. John's baseball team put together a late run before eventually falling to Charlotte, 10-8, at Hayes Stadium.

The Johnnies (3-6) trailed by as many as eight before scoring the game's final six runs.

Sean McGeehan matched a pair of career highs, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Another senior outfielder, Mike Antico, pieced together a solid afternoon, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a walk. The speedy center fielder also stole two bags.

Ryan Markey doubled and launched his second career homer in a 2-for-5 showing. Ryan Hogan also scored twice for St. John's while Mitchell Henshaw singled and drove in a run.

Ian Murphy was charged with the loss despite surrendering just one earned run in 4.2 innings of work to start the game. The sophomore right-hander allowed only three hits on the afternoon.

Junior left-hander Chris Stefl was the only St. John's pitcher to keep Charlotte off the board. After entering with runners on the corners and one out in the seventh, he promptly forced a double-play ball to end the inning before tossing a 1-2-3 eighth.

After Charlotte got on the board first in games one and two, St. John's jumped out to an early lead in the Sunday finale. Carson Bartels reached on an error before moving to third on a McGeehan single and coming home to score on a Henshaw RBI grounder.

Murphy retired the 49ers (8-4) without issue in the first and second before the Johnnies added another tally in the top of the third. Antico singled through the left side and stole second before McGeehan ripped an RBI single from the left side, scoring Antico and putting the Red Storm ahead, 2-0.

Following another scoreless frame in the third, Charlotte got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the fourth, plating three runs on two hits, two walks and a pair of errors to move ahead 3-2.

The 49ers added two more in the fifth before crossing the plate five more times in the bottom of the sixth, taking a 10-2 lead into the top of the seventh.

St. John's would not go down quietly, as Markey hit a solo shot to lead off a three-run top of the seventh. Antico and McGeehan also added RBI singles in the frame.

The Red Storm held Charlotte scoreless in the seventh before adding three more in the top of the eighth to make it a two-run game. Markey led off the inning with a double down the left field line before taking third on a Hogan single through the right side, giving the Red Storm a pair of baserunners with no outs. Following a Jake Lazzaro strikeout, Antico singled through the left side to score Markey before Hogan came home on an RBI groundout from Bartels. McGeehan capped the scoring with his fourth base knock of the day, plating Antico and bringing the Johnnies within two, 10-8.

Stefl set the 49ers down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but Colby Bruce returned the favor in the ninth, retiring the Johnnies 1-2-3 and securing the Charlotte sweep.

The Johnnies will return to action on Tuesday, traveling to Presbyterian for a midweek matchup with the Blue Hose. The Red Storm will then head west for a three-game set at UNLV beginning on Friday, March 6, at 9 p.m. ET.