St. John’s Outduels Quinnipiac, 7-4, in Sunday Finale

Sunday, March 27

Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

9-15

Quinnipiac

5-14

Quinnipiac

St. John's

St. John’s Outduels Quinnipiac, 7-4, in Sunday Finale

3/27/2022 5:56:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Johnnies win second straight weekend series

QUEENS, N.Y.- The St. John's baseball team clinched its second straight weekend series win with a 7-4 win on Sunday afternoon at Jack Kaiser Stadium.

Four different hitters tallied an RBI for the Red Storm (9-15). Tate Ballestero and David Glancy each recorded an extra-base hit, a double and triple respectively, while Kevin Michaels and Nick Cirelli drew RBI walks.

Jackson Tucker was a constant threat on the basepaths, swiping three bases and scoring three runs. Tucker's 10 steals through 24 games are as many as any Johnnie has had in a full season since Mike Antico swiped 10 bases in 2020.

Brandon Backman started his third game of the season and turned in another strong outing on the mound. The graduate student tossed 4.0 innings, striking out five and only allowing two runs.

Sonny Fauci picked up his second win of the season, pitching 2.0 innings of one-run ball with two punchouts, and Chuck Sanzio earned his fifth save of the season with two shutout innings.

St. John's (9-15) grabbed its first lead in the bottom half of the opening frame. Tucker led off the inning with a walk before stealing second, his eighth of the season. The freshman outfielder eventually came around to score on two balks by Quinnipiac starter Carter Poiry to stake the Johnnies to a 1-0 advantage after six outs.

The Bobcats would respond with a tally of their own in the top of the second to even the ledger at a run apiece. Michael Kohn launched a two-out solo home run to right field to tie the score, 1-1.

Quinnipiac found more two-out magic in the top of the third when Ian Ostberg doubled down the right-field line to bring the runner on second to the plate and give the Bobcats the lead for the first time Sunday afternoon, 2-1.

The Red Storm answered in the bottom of the third with two runs to recalmin the lead, 3-2. Kramer started the frame with a double down the line in right field before Glancy clubbed a triple to right-center to knot the contest at two. Ballestero followed up with a double to score Glancy and give the Johnnies the lead.

After a scoreless fourth inning, the Bobcats knotted the score once again in the top of the fifth. Ostberg notched his second RBI of the day on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to score Jared Zimbardo and tie Sunday's tilt for the second time, 3-3.

St. John's counterpunched in the home half of the fifth inning with three two-out runs to swing the game in its favor, 6-3. With two runners on, Hidalgo reached on an infield single and Tucker scored on a throwing error by the second baseman. Three straight two-out walks provided the additional two runs and gave the Red Storm the three-run edge.

The Bobcats refused to go quietly as they scored one in the top of the seventh to get within two, 6-4. Keegan O'Connor roped a single over the leaping Max Shabestari to score Zimbardo and inch closer.

Tucker put pressure on the Quinnipiac defense in the bottom of the eighth, stealing second and third before scoring on a throwing error by O'Connor to restore the Johnnies' three-run lead, 7-4.

Sanzio retired the Bobcats in order in the ninth to pick up the save and clinch the series.

The Red Storm will wrap up its 13-game homestand on Wednesday when it welcomes in the Columbia Lions for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch from Jack Kaiser Stadium.