Whittaker lifts St. John’s to 2-0 Win at Stony Brook

Wednesday, March 22

Stony Brook, NY (University Field)

2 p.m.

St. John's University

10-13

Stony Brook

8-14

St. John's (N.Y.)

Stony Brook

Whittaker lifts St. John’s to 2-0 Win at Stony Brook

3/22/2023 5:39:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Katie Whittaker’s two-run homer in the ninth broke the scoreless tie

By: Andrew Loewe

STONY BROOK, N.Y. – Katie Whittaker blasts a two-run home run in ninth inning to lift the St. John's softball team to a 2-0 win at Stony Brook on Wednesday afternoon at University Field.

The Red Storm earned its 10^th win of the season, improving to 10-13. The Seawolves will resume CAA play this weekend with an 8-14 record on the year.

Whittaker's lone hit of the day was the difference in the Johnnies' two-run victory. The freshman has been known for her power, and she put it on display yet again, breaking a scoreless tie with a two-run shot.

Hannah Mearns starred in the circle for the Johnnies, retiring 12 of the 14 batters she faced in her four innings of work to start the game. The junior struck out three while allowing just one walk and one hit on 62 pitches.

Her counterpart, Ashton Melaas, held the Red Storm to just four hits in the first seven innings. The Rockton, Ill. native finished her outing two outs into the ninth, as her reliever retired the final Johnnie to step to the plate. Melaas totaled four strikeouts, and allowed just one walk and six hits.

Both pitchers were engaged in a pitcher's duel as both teams twirled 1-2-3 innings on a combined six occasions.

In the fifth frame, Carolina Zamudio relieved Mearns and maintained the pitching prowess, retiring nine of the first 10 Seawolves she faced. While both teams were kept off the board over the and forcing extra innings, Zamudio faced a jam in the eighth inning. With a pair of runners in scoring position with just one out, the Mexico City native fanned the next batter and forced a groundout to give the Johnnies another chance to score a run in the ninth.

Whittaker was the hero for the Red Storm in the final inning. After Amy Mallah reached on a error to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, Whittaker slugged an 0-2 pitch that cleared the fence in center to break the scoreless tie, 2-0.

Zamudio slammed the door on the Seawolves in the bottom half of the inning to clinch the Red Storm victory. Zamudio notched her team-high seventh victory of the season in her five-inning, two strikeout performance.

St. John's will close the week with a weekend series against DePaul starting on Friday.