Creighton Sweeps Doubleheader with St. John’s, Claims Series

Saturday, April 16

Queens, N.Y. (Jack Kaiser Stadium)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

12-23, 0

Creighton

20-8, 0

Creighton

St. John's

Creighton Sweeps Doubleheader with St. John’s, Claims Series

4/16/2022 7:36:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Game 1 Box Score (PDF)Game 2 Box Score (PDF)

Five Johnnies record at least one extra-base hit in the pair of contests on Saturday

QUEENS, N.Y.- The St. John's baseball team dropped two close games in a doubleheader with BIG EAST foe Creighton on Saturday afternoon.

Game One

A run in the sixth sunk St. John's in the opening game of the doubleheader against Creighton, falling to the Bluejays, 5-4.

Nick Cirelli and Jayson Kramer each logged two-RBI outings while David Glancy 2-for-5 with a double. Four other hitters recorded a base knock, including Kevin Michaels who added two runs scored. Austin Machado and Tate Ballestero accounted for the other tallies in game one.

On the mound, Vincent Bianchi turned in his second straight solid outing, tossing 4.0 innings with two punchouts, but he was ultimately saddled with the loss for the Red Storm.

The Johnnies cracked the scoreboard first in the opening with two runs to lead 2-0. Three straight batters reached base with two outs to set the table for Cirelli, who launched a ball to center that bounced over the wall to plate the initial tallies of the afternoon.

After a scoreless second frame, Creighton evened the ledger at two in the top of the third. Andrew Meggs hit a sac fly to right to score Kyle Hess before Alan Roden deposited a ball into the visiting bullpen to knot the score.

St. John's responded immediately in the home half of the third with one run to inch ahead, 3-2. Michaels led off the frame with a base hit before moving to third on a groundout and a failed pickoff attempt. Kramer lifted a fly ball to right to score Michaels and give the Red Storm the lead once again.

The Bluejays answered back with two runs in the top of the fourth to grab their first lead of the contest, 4-3. Jack Grace launched the second homer of the day for Creighton over the left-field wall. Nolan Clifford was hit by a pitch and came around to score courtesy of a single and a wild pitch.

The Johnnies tied the score at four runs apiece with a tally in the bottom of the fifth. Machado drew a one-out walk before advancing to second on a groundout and scoring on a Kramer base hit to right.

Creighton tipped the scales in its favor for the second time with one run in the top of the sixth to lead 5-4. Nolan Sailors started the frame with a walk before advancing to third on a stolen base and a sacrifice bunt. Kyle Hess tallied the second sac fly of the afternoon for the Bluejays to regain their one-run edge.

Paul Bergstrom and Tommy Steier shut out the Red Storm over the final three innings to secure the win in the opener of the doubleheader.

Game Two

Creighton scored the last four runs of the contest to take the second game of the twin-bill from the Red Storm, 4-2.

Michaels accounted for both RBIs for the Johnnies, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and a walk. Carlos Hidalgo enjoyed a stellar day at the plate, tallying three hits in four at-bats with a double while Paul Orbon logged a multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.

Dylan Johnson was solid on the mound, throwing 4.2 innings, striking out seven Bluejays and allowing only one run in a no-decision.

starter Cade Lommel did not allow an earned run in 7.1 innings of work, earning his first win of the season.

For the second straight contest, St. John's (12-24, 0-6 BIG EAST) put up a crooked number in the early going to grab the first lead of the ballgame, this time in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Michaels ripped a double into the right-field corner to bring two runners home and give the Red Storm an early 2-0 advantage.

Creighton quickly cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth, 2-1. Roden doubled down the line in left before scoring on a wild pitch from Johnson.

The Bluejays grabbed the advantage in the top of the sixth with a three-run frame to jump out in front, 4-2. Roden and Jared Wegner launched back-to-back homers to lead off the frame; then two consecutive doubles by Jack Grace and Kyle Hess produced the third run of the innings for Creighton.

The two-run lead was all Lommel and Marc Lidd needed to close out the final three innings and secure the series sweep for the Bluejays.

St. John's will return to Jack Kaiser Stadium on Wednesday to take on Fairleigh Dickinson in midweek action. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.