St. John’s Blanks Iona, 5-0

Tuesday, March 26

New Rochelle, N.Y. (Donald E. Walsh Field)

3 p.m.

St. John's University

16-16

Iona

5-16

St. John's

Iona

3/26/2024 5:26:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Loreley Francia allows just one hit before retiring 18 consecutive batters

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The St. John's softball team (16-16, 5-4) shut out the Iona Gaels (5-16, 2-1), 5-0, at Donald E. Walsh Field on Tuesday afternoon.

Starter Loreley Francia was flawless in the circle, pitching a complete game shutout while striking out 10. The sophomore allowed just one hit in the bottom of the second before sitting down 18 consecutive batters. Francia now leads the team with a 2.28 ERA and 89 punchouts in 79.2 innings of work this season.

In her lone plate appearance, Sydney Totarsky crushed her first long ball of the season to left field. The outfielder now has seven RBIs on the year.

Cassidy Stouffer and Amy Mallah each hit RBI doubles in the contest to help lead the St. John's offensive attack. Elanna Lysiak chipped in an RBI single as well to round out the scoring.

Lead-off hitter Jess Bianco continued to be a spark as she has been all season, going 3-for-4 from the dish to improve her batting average to a team-leading .358 in 2024.

Stouffer kicked off the scoring by bringing home London Jarrard on an RBI double to left field in the top of the first, giving St. John's an early 1-0 lead. The Johnnies threatened for more by loading the bases behind a pair of walks, but Iona's Alyssa DeJianne found her way out of the jam, recording the final two outs.

In the circle, Francia struck out four Gaels in the first two innings to hold St. John's lead at 1-0 after two.

With one out in the top of the third, Celia Macari drilled her first extra-base hit of the season into the left-center gap for a double. Lysiak then strengthened the Johnnies' advantage with an RBI single through the right side, 2-0.

Francia continued her impressive start, sitting down 12 straight batters since an Iona lead-off single in the second inning to keep the score at 2-0 into the sixth frame.

The Red Storm offense added more runs in support of Francia in the top of the sixth, putting three on the scoreboard. Melanie Santos sparked the offense with a single into right field ahead of being brought home on a Mallah ground-rule double, 3-0. Totarsky then made her first appearance at the dish after subbing in at left field and drilled a two-run home run off to left to extend the lead, 5-0.

The Spring, Texas product continued to roll in the circle, sitting the Gaels in order in the sixth and seventh, bringing her total to 18 batters in a row and sealing the 5-0 victory for St. John's.

St. John's will now look ahead to continuing BIG EAST in the Windy City against DePaul on March 28-30. The first pitch for Thursday is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET.