St. John’s Inches Closer to BIG EAST Tournament Berth with Sweep of Creighton

Saturday, May 4

Queens, N.Y. (Kaiser Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

30-11-1, 0

Creighton

31-13, 0

Creighton

St. John's

St. John’s Inches Closer to BIG EAST Tournament Berth with Sweep of Creighton

5/4/2024 8:07:00 PM | Baseball

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

Red Storm takes three games against Bluejays for first time since 2018

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's baseball team (31-11-1, 11-4) swept its second doubleheader of the season with a pair of triumphs over Creighton (31-14, 4-10) at Jack Kaiser Stadium on Saturday. Outfielder Ben Beauchamp walked off game one with a solo shot in the 10^th frame to take a 3-2 win, followed by a seven-inning gem from starter Mario Pesca to secure a 7-1 victory in game two.

With two wins on Saturday, the Johnnies secured its first sweep of Creighton since the 2018 campaign. The Johnnies also extended its winning streak to six games and moved to 5-0-1 on doubleheader days.

The Red Storm is on the cusp of clinching its first BIG EAST Tournament berth under the direction of Head Coach Mike Hampton, needing just one win against Seton Hall next week to make its return to Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio for the first time since 2019.

Game 1

The Johnnies earned its 30^th win of the season in their 3-2 extra-inning victory.

Beauchamp delivered the program's first walk-off home run in nearly nine years to the day, seeing its last coming on May 5, 2015, when Jarred Mederos clapped a three-run shot to take down Albany, 8-7.

Shortstop Luke Orbon logged a pair of hits in the opening contest, including a game-tying RBI double in the ninth to force extras.

St. John's Evan Chaffee and Creighton's Cade Lommel engaged in a pitchers' duel over the first four innings, neither one allowing a runner past second base. Chaffee struck out the first four batters he faced before surrendering his first of three baserunners on the afternoon. The southpaw managed to hold the Bluejays without a hit through five innings. Chaffee finished his 5.1 innings of work with eight strikeouts.

The Johnnies finally broke through in the sixth after putting runners on the corners with a Jimmy Keenan double to right-center and Marty Higgins singling to right. Garrett Scavelli brought Keenan around on an RBI fielder's choice for a 1-0 edge.

Creighton quickly responded with a two-run home run from Ben North in the top of the seventh inning to take a 2-1 lead.

The Bluejays continued to threaten in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out. The Red Storm stifled Creighton with back-to-back putouts to end the frame.

The Red Storm did not go away, tying the game at two in the bottom of the ninth inning. Chad Falcon jogged to first base after taking a pitch off the side from Mason Koch, only to be pinch-ran for by Cristian Bernardini. Shortstop Luke Orbon slapped a 1-1 pitch into the left-center gap, driving in Bernardini to deadlock the score and force extras.

Ben Adams and Sam Mettert combined to work a scoreless 10^th frame. Adams, who went two full innings for the Red Storm, induced the first two outs after allowing a leadoff single. Mettert threw one pitch and forced Teddy Deters into a 1-4-3 putout at first to end the extra frame.

It took just three pitches for Beauchamp to walk off game one with a solo homer, his fifth of the season, lifting St. John's to its third extra-inning victory of the season.

Game 2

St. John's cruised to a 7-1 win after holding Creighton to just two hits in the contest.

Jackson Tucker led the charge with a three-hit performance, driving in a pair of runs and scoring once himself. Higgins led all Johnnies with three RBIs in the final matchup while Keenan crossed a game-best two times in the victory.

The Johnnies jumped out to a 1-0 lead after a bases-loaded walk to Higgins pushed Tucker across in the opening frame. The Johnnies' first baseman continued his run production in the third inning with a two-run shot to left-center, pushing the Red Storm lead to three, 3-0.

Right-handed Pesca retired 10 straight batters to start game two, striking out three Bluejays over the first 3.1 innings of work. The Bronx native went on to allow just two knocks and struck out seven batters in a career-high seven innings of work.

The Red Storm added to its lead in the fourth inning following a two-out single by Anthony Brienza. Tucker turned on a 3-2 pitch and smacked an RBI double off the left-center wall to give the Johnnies a 4-0 edge.

St. John's continued to bolster its advantage with a 416-foot solo home run from Keenan, marking his team-best ninth dinger of the season and taking a 5-0 lead.

Creighton scored one run on a Red Storm error in the top of the seventh to break the scoreless drought and pull within four, 5-1. Pesca finished his outing with an emphatic punchout, making Cuyler Zukowski swing through strike three to end the inning.

The Johnnies chipped in two tallies in the bottom of the eighth. After Tucker smacked an RBI single to the left side, Orbon broke for the plate on a wild pitch to take a 7-1 lead.

AJ Lausten and Mettert shut the door on the Bluejays, tossing consecutive blank outings to conclude the doubleheader and giving the Johnnies their second win of the day.

St. John's will return to Jack Kaiser Stadium on Tuesday for Senior Night against FDU. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m., with Senior Night festivities set for approximately 5:30.