St. John’s Drops a Pair to Creighton in Home Opener

Friday, March 8

Queens, N.Y. (Red Storm Field)

12 p.m.

St. John's University

8-11, 0

Creighton

12-7, 0

Creighton

St. John's

St. John’s Drops a Pair to Creighton in Home Opener

3/8/2024 6:38:00 PM | Softball

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

The Red Storm fell 3-0 in game one before dropping game two, 8-2

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's softball team (8-12) dropped a pair of games to Creighton (13-7) during its home opener on Friday afternoon.

The Red Storm dropped game one, 3-0, before falling in game two, 8-2, at the hands of the Bluejays to open BIG EAST play.

Ana Serafinko went the distance in the circle during game one, striking out a career-high eight batters while scattering three runs on six hits.

Third baseman Amy Mallah chipped in two RBIs in game two to lead the Red Storm offense.

London Jarrard and Cassidy Stouffer each drilled their seventh double of the season to tie for the team lead.

Game 1

St. John's Serafinko and Creighton's Kenzie Schopfer exchanged blank half-innings to open game one, tallying a combined five strikeouts in the frame.

The Bluejays jumped out to an early lead in the second after Sydney Potter and Ensley Frame put two on by drawing walks with two outs. Ashten Pierson then delivered the 1-0 lead with a base hit.

After a scoreless home half, Lily West opened the top of the third with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Ella Dalton singled into left field to extend Creighton's lead, 2-0.

Natalie Casto attempted to spark the Red Storm offense in the bottom half with a one-out sharp line drive up the middle for a base hit, but Schopfer recorded the final two outs to preserve the 2-0 advantage.

The score remained 2-0 until the top of the fifth when West hit a one-out single followed by Dalton notching her second RBI of the game with a double into right center, 3-0.

Serafinko battled back to record two strikeouts in the top of the sixth, tying and then setting a new career high with eight strikeouts in the contest to keep the Bluejays advantage to just three.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mallah reached base on a hit-by-pitch with one out to give the Johnnies one final chance, but Schopfer fought back to tally the last two outs and seal the 3-0 Creighton win.

Game 2

Starter Loreley Francia sat the Bluejays down in order to open the first before the Johnnies took the early in the home half.

Jess Bianco led off with a walk before Jarrard singled through the right to put two on with two outs. An out and Katie Whittaker walk later, Mallah hit a deep fly-out, bringing home Bianco to take the 1-0 lead.

Creighton evened the score in the top of the second when Dalton and Emma Rosonke hit back-to-back one-out doubles to knot the game, 1-1. Francia found her way out of the inning, retiring the last two outs to keep the game tied.

After a scoreless home half and top of the third, Stouffer drilled a two-out double down the left-field line to give the Red Storm a runner in scoring position. However, Creighton's Natalia Puchino got the final out to preserve the 1-1 after three.

The score remained knotted until the top of the fifth when the Creighton offense put seven runs on the board to take an 8-1 lead.

Jarrard gave the St. John's offense life in the bottom of the sixth with a lead-off double into right center. An out later, Whittaker drew a walk before the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Mallah drove in her second run of the game with a groundout to cut into the Creighton lead, 8-2.

Hannah Mearns settled in after coming in for relief of Francia in the fifth. The senior tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh inning to hold the score at 8-2 and give the Johnnies an opportunity to come back.

Madison Wallace and Sydney Totarsky hit back-to-back one-out singles to give the Red Storm a last-chance opportunity, but Puchino found her way out of the jam to secure the 8-2 victory.

St. John's will wrap up the series against Creighton at 2 p.m. at Red Storm Field. The Johnnies will continue to stay at home past this weekend for six more games including a midweek tilt against Manhattan on Wednesday at 3 p.m.