St. John’s Downs Old Dominion, 7-6, in Extras

Friday, February 17

Norfolk, Va. (Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium)

6 p.m.

St. John's University

1-0

Old Dominion

0-1

St. John's

Old Dominion

2/17/2023 10:21:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Paul Orbon delivers game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning

NEW YORK – Behind Paul Orbon's game-winning RBI single, the St. John's baseball team erased a four-run deficit to take down Old Dominion, 7-6, in 10 innings on Friday evening.

After seeing the Monarchs (0-1) tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, the New Hyde Park, N.Y., native picked up his first hit of the season and brought home pinch runner Ben Beauchamp in the 10^th inning for the one-run victory.

In his first game with the Red Storm (1-0), graduate transfer Aaron Mann picked up his first base knock while driving in a pair of runs in his debut.

After earning the Johnnies' home run crown a year ago, David Glancy found himself swinging for the fences again. The Neptune, N.J., native clobbered his first homer of the year, also finishing with two RBIs on the evening.

Kevin Michaels picked up right where he left off, posting his 20^th multi-hit game in a Red Storm uniform with a 3-for-4 night at the dish. Sophomore Austin Machado went 2-for-4 with a run scored, smacking a base knock in the 10^th inning that set up the winning run. Fellow classmate Jackson Tucker produced a two-hit performance as well, bumping his reached base streak to 20 games while driving in a pair and scoring twice.

Following a blank opening frame, Michaels lined a leadoff double to left-center for the team's first hit of 2023 in the top of the second. However, the threat was short-lived as the Monarchs' Blake Morgan worked out of trouble to keep the Red Storm off the board.

Sonny Fauci retired the first seven batters he faced on Friday before Old Dominion broke through in the third frame. After an RBI groundout from Thomas Wheeler and a Hunter Fitz-Gerald one-run double, the Monarchs had two more cross the plate on a Red Storm miscue to take a 4-0 lead through three.

Both teams were held off the board in the fourth as Fauci staved off the Monarchs' threat, sitting Wheeler down on strikes to wrap up his four frames of work.

The Johnnies' offense capitalized on a pair of Old Dominion mistakes in the fifth to tie the game. After seeing Machado lace a double down the right-field line to start the inning, Jace Jeremiah reached second base on a throwing error by the Monarchs' third baseman. With runners on second and third, the Red Storm plated Machado and Jeremiah on Tucker's double to right, 4-2. Three pitches later, Glancy blasted a two-run shot to straightaway center, deadlocking the contest at four and chasing Old Dominion's Morgan from the game.

The Monarchs quickly responded in the home half of the fifth to take a 5-4 lead. Despite allowing one run, reliever Jake Alfaro worked himself out of a first-and-third jam to keep the deficit at one. The lefty managed to get out of trouble in the sixth inning as well, stranding two more runners with a punchout to Fitz-Gerald.

In the top of the seventh, the Red Storm battled back to reclaim a 6-5 advantage. After a Tucker single and walks to both Ballestero and Michaels to load the bases, Mann drove in a pair on a single through the right side and put the Johnnies ahead.

Old Dominion threatened the one-run edge in the bottom of the seventh, loading the bases with two outs. Nick Cirelli took control in relief of Alfaro and fooled Kyle Edwards at the dish, sitting the sophomore down on strikes to end the frame. The right-hander tossed 1.2 innings of work, allowing just one hit and striking out two.

After a blank eighth and top of the ninth, the Monarchs' Kenny Levari tied the game at six with a solo home run in the home half, sending it to extras.

The Johnnies' Machado smacked a single to start the extra frame before being replaced by Beauchamp on the base path. After moving over to third following a sacrifice bunt and a sac fly, Orbon took a 3-1 pitch through the left side to knock in Beauchamp for the eventual winning run.

Chuck Sanzio earned his first win of the season, closing the door in the bottom of the 10^th with a strikeout to Chris Dengler.

The Johnnies return to action against the Monarchs tomorrow afternoon with first pitch from Bud Metheny Baseball Stadium slated for 2 p.m. Sophomore Joe Mascio is slated to face Sam Armstrong in Saturday's matchup.