St. John’s Softball Edges Seton Hall, 5-4, on Sunday

Sunday, March 21

South Orange, NJ

12 p.m.

St. John's University

5-7, 2-4

Seton Hall

5-10, 2-4

St. John's

Seton Hall

St. John’s Softball Edges Seton Hall, 5-4, on Sunday

3/21/2021 4:14:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

Red Storm picks up first BIG EAST series win of 2021

By: Kenny Conrade

South Orange, N.J. – The St. John's softball team edged Seton Hall, 5-4, on Sunday afternoon at Essex County Mike Sheppard, Sr. Field to grab its first BIG EAST series win of 2021.

The Red Storm (5-7, 2-4 BIG EAST) had a big day offensively, registering a season-high 11 hits and scoring four of its five runs over the first two innings to take game three over the Pirates (5-10, 2-4 BIG EAST).

Kalei Sorensen moved into the third spot in the order for the first time in 2021 and led the way for the Red Storm at the plate, as she went 2-4 in the game, tacking on three RBIs and a run scored. Gretchen Bowie also had a big day at the dish, going 3-4 with a run scored while Marissa Rizzi went 2-3 with two runs scored and an RBI for the Johnnies.

Kayla Kmett (3-3) got the start for the Red Storm and worked three-plus innings of four-run softball to earn the win. Erin Brown was strong in relief for St. John's, as she earned the save, surrendering just two hits over three-plus innings of work and not allowing a run. The save marks the first in the collegiate career of the sophomore pitcher.

Much like game one yesterday, the Johnnies bats came out strong in the first inning, as the Red Storm offense tagged Pirates starter Kelsey Carr for two runs. Rizzi doubled with one out in the inning and came around to score on a Sorensen single, which was followed up by a Kaitlin Mattera base hit which plated Sorensen. Just like that, the Red Storm was up, 2-0, an inning into the game.

The Johnnies came back for more in the second frame, as after the first two hitters were retired, Bowie singled and Rizzi walked before each stole third and second base, respectively. With two in scoring position, Sorensen stepped up to the dish and delivered a two-RBI double to give the Johnnies the 4-0 advantage.

While the Pirates threatened with runners in scoring position in the first and third innings, Kmett worked a scoreless first three frames. In the road half of the fourth, an RBI single from Rizzi, which marked her third straight time on base, plated Meisha Murray with what turned out to be the game-winning run, growing the lead to 5-0.

Kmett ran into some trouble with two outs in the fourth inning, as Seton Hall pushed two runs across before she was lifted from the game with the bases full of Pirates. Angela Saric entered and walked both hitters that she faced to score two more before Head Coach Bob Guerriero went to Brown, who induced a fly ball to end the inning with the Red Storm leading, 5-4, after four.

Brown was dominant over the final three innings of the game, as she allowed just two runners to reach base on two singles, and the furthest a runner made it was second base. That runner came in the bottom of the fifth, where a lined shot that was ticketed as an RBI double was snagged by Bowie to end the threat. The seventh inning was the Red Storm reliever's strongest, as she set down the Pirates in order on three straight ground balls to earn herself the save.

Next up on the schedule for the Red Storm is a midweek matchup against Fordham on Wednesday at home. That contest will start at 3 p.m. Next up in BIG EAST play for the Johnnies will be a three-game weekend series at Red Storm Field starting next Saturday.