St. John’s Takes Series Finale, 4-2, from Seton Hall

Sunday, April 25

Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

13-12, 4-7

Seton Hall

15-15, 8-3

Seton Hall

St. John's

St. John’s Takes Series Finale, 4-2, from Seton Hall

4/25/2021 4:40:00 PM | Baseball

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Red Storm secures series split with the Pirates

By: Andrew O'Connell

After six and a half innings of scoreless baseball, St. John's struck for four runs in the bottom of the seventh, propelling the Red Storm to a 4-2 win over local rival Seton Hall on Sunday afternoon at Jack Kaiser Stadium.

With the win, the Red Storm secured a split in the four-game series and improved to 13-12 overall, 4-7 in BIG EAST play. Seton Hall fell to 15-15, 8-3 in the league.

Highly touted freshman right-hander Tyler Roche put forth the best effort of his collegiate career, allowing only three hits and striking out seven in 6.1 innings of scoreless work. The Bronx native, who walked five, dropped his season-long ERA by nearly two full points, as it now stands at 3.79 through eight appearances.

Ethan Routzahn entered for Roche and struck out six over the final 2.2 frames to record his second win of the season. The redshirt junior set new career-highs for both innings pitched and punchouts.

Six different Johnnies recorded hits on Sunday afternoon. Marty Higgins logged the only extra-base hit of the day, a two-bagger in the third. Ryan Hogan and Brian Morrell delivered RBI singles in the seventh while Carson Bartels, Vincent Bianchi and David Glancy all added base knocks. Colin Wetterau tallied a sac fly during that decisive seventh inning.

After putting just one runner on base in the first two innings, the Red Storm appeared poised to break through in the third. Higgins led off the frame with a double before moving to third on a Jake Lazzaro groundout to the right side in the following at-bat. Following a Bartels strikeout, Hogan and Glancy walked to load the bases with two gone, but Morrell went down looking to end the threat.

Following a 1-2-3 fourth from Roche, the Johnnies loaded the bases again with two outs in the home half, but proved unable to bring home a run. Bianchi singled to lead off the inning before David Williams drew a walk and Lazzaro reached on a two-out error.

Neither side seriously threatened again until the top of the seventh when Collin Sheehan singled and Alex Clyde drew a six pitch walk to put runners on first and second with no out. After Roche recorded the first out of the frame with his seventh strikeout of the afternoon, Routzahn entered and retired the next two Seton Hall batters, keeping the Pirates off the board.

St. John's rode the momentum of its escape act into the home half of the frame. Lazzaro led off the inning with a walk before taking second on a failed pick-off and moving to third on a Bartels sac bunt. Next up was Hogan, who ripped a single through the left side to score Lazzaro and gave St. John's the first lead of the game. Each of the next three St. John's batters reached base, as Glancy was hit by a pitch, Morrell poked an RBI single up the middle and Bianchi walked to load the bases with one out. Wetterau then brought home Glancy with a sac fly to right before Paul Orbon, who pinch ran for Morrell, scored on a wild pitch to make it a 4-0 ball game in favor of the Johnnies.

Seton Hall answered with two runs in the top of the eighth to cut the St. John's lead in half.

After surrendering just his second and third runs of the year the previous inning, Routzahn was far from rattled as he took the hill for the ninth. The Crystal Lake, Ill., native struck out the side, sealing the win and evening the series.

The Red Storm will return to action next weekend in Omaha for a four-game set with the Creighton Bluejays. Friday's series opener is set to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET.