St. John’s Walks Off Seton Hall, 5-4, in 11 Innings

Friday, April 23

Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)

3 p.m.

St. John's University

12-10, 3-5

Seton Hall

13-14, 6-2

Seton Hall

St. John's

St. John’s Walks Off Seton Hall, 5-4, in 11 Innings

4/23/2021 7:28:00 PM | Baseball

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Marty Higgins goes 4-for-4 with the game-winning hit

By: Andrew O'Connell

Marty Higgins picked a good time to have the best game of his collegiate career.

The redshirt freshman third baseman scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings before belting a walk-off RBI double in the 11th, as the Red Storm took the opener of a four-game BIG EAST set, 5-4, from Seton Hall on Friday afternoon at Jack Kaiser Stadium.

A native of Nutley, N.J., Higgins reached base in all five of his plate appearances, going 4-for-4 with a hit-by-pitch. Two of his four hits went for two bags.

Justin Folz went 2-for-4, including a single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth that plated Higgins from second and knotted the score at four.

Carson Bartels recorded two doubles and an RBI for the Red Storm.

Despite the game lasting 11 innings, the Red Storm (12-10, 3-5 BIG EAST) used only two pitchers. Nick Mondak started and surrendered just two runs, only one of which was earned, in seven innings of work. The fifth-year southpaw fanned a season-high nine batters, marking his fifth appearance of the season with seven or more Ks in just seven opportunities.

Joe Joe Rodriguez tossed four innings of two-run relief. After allowing a two-run home run that gave Seton Hall a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth, Rodriguez was nothing short of sensational. He retired nine straight batters between the eighth and 11^th innings before surrendering a walk with two outs in the 11^th. After allowing that runner to reach base, he promptly worked a pop-up to second base. The redshirt junior fanned four batters, including all three he faced in the top of the ninth.

Seton Hall (13-14, 6-2 BIG EAST) struck in each of the first two innings, as a Matt Toke RBI single in the first plated the opening run of the game before a Will Gale sac fly in the second pushed the Pirate advantage to a pair. Only one of those runs was earned.

The first Red Storm batters of the game reached base in the home half of the third, as Brandon Miller laced a one-out double to right center and Higgins was hit by a pitch. Both runners advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch before the next two batters went down in order, ending the Red Storm threat.

After Mondak struck out the side in a 1-2-3 top of the fourth, the Johnnies strung together three hits to get on the board in the home half of the frame. Folz and Vincent Bianchi logged back-to-back singles before a Bartels RBI two-bagger down the right field line, cutting the Seton Hall lead in half, 2-1, after four.

Mondak worked another scoreless inning in the top of the fifth before the Red Storm knotted things up in the home half. Higgins doubled to right center to lead off the frame before Jake Lazzaro beat out a sac bunt to give the Johnnies runners on the corners with no outs. Next up was Ryan Hogan, who executed a perfect squeeze bunt back to the pitcher and pulled the Red Storm even.

Following a scoreless sixth from both sides, the Johnnies pulled ahead for the first time in the bottom of the seventh. With runners on second and third and one out, David Glancy smacked a hard-hit grounder to the shortstop, who made the throw home but was unable to get Lazzaro in time, giving the Red Storm a 3-2 lead. After Folz walked to load the bases, the Johnnies looked poised to add onto their lead. The Pirates, however, spun an inning-ending 6-3 double play to quell the St. John's threat.

After Rodriguez retired the first two batters of the Seton Hall eighth, Connor Hood singled up the middle before Collin Sheehan delivered a pinch-hit two-run shot to right center to give the Pirates a 4-3 lead.

Seton Hall used another inning-ending twin-killing to keep the Johnnies off the board in the eighth, but would enjoy no such luck in the ninth. Higgins led off the inning with his third hit of the day, an infield single, before moving into scoring position on a Lazzaro sac bunt. After Hogan was hit by a pitch and Glancy went down swinging for the inning's second out, Folz smashed an 0-1 single through the left side, scoring Higgins from second and knotting the score at four. With the game-winning run on second, Bianchi laced a ball to center, but it was right at Tyler Shedler-McAvoy, who caught it cleanly and sent the game to extras.

With a runner on second to start the top of the 10^th, Rodriguez retired all three batters he faced and did not allow a ball to leave the infield, stranding the Seton Hall runner at third and preserving the tie.

After St. John's failed to bring home its runner at second in the home half of the frame, Rodriguez was masterful again in the 11^th. He forced a fly ball to shallow center, executed a difficult fielding play to get the runner at first for the second out of the frame and forced a 3-1 pop-up to second for the inning's final out.

With Paul Orbon placed on second, and Higgins leading off the bottom of the 11^th, the redshirt freshman sent the first pitch he saw to the wall in right, easily scoring Orbon and giving the Red Storm the victory.

The Red Storm and the Pirates will resume their series tomorrow at Jack Kaiser Stadium with a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN3.