Published: February 19, 2007
MIDLAND, Texas
St. John's out-hit Texas Tech on Sunday, but the Red Raiders
scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and went on to
win, 7-5, in the finale of the Midland College Classic. Seniors
Brendan Monaghan and Ryan Mahoney did most of the damage for the
Red Storm, combining for four hits and all of the team's five
RBI.
St. John's fell to Texas Tech for the second straight game, as
the Red Raiders won their sixth straight game and 10th straight in
three Midland College Classic appearances.
Monaghan collected three hits and led the Red Storm with three
RBI on the day, while finishing the tournament 4-for-8 at the plate
with five RBI. Mahoney drove in a pair of runs with a first-inning
single, while Anthony Smith and Sam DeLuca each had two hits and a
run scored in five plate appearances.
Both teams plated four runs in an action-packed first inning.
The Red Storm got five two-out singles, all of which were hit up
the middle off Red Raider starter Aaron Odom, and a walk to jump
out to a 4-0 lead. DeLuca got things started with the bases empty
and two outs, and Monaghan and Mahoney each delivered two-run
singles.
In the bottom half of the inning, Texas Tech used two hits and
two St. John's errors to even the score at 4-4. Only one of the
four runs went in the books as being earned, as Daniel Rose
committed two fielding errors that led to scores by each of the
first four hitters in the Tech lineup.
The Red Raiders took their first lead of the game on a sacrifice
fly to center field by Doug Thennis in the bottom of the third.
Catcher Matt Smith came around to score after being hit by a pitch
and moving to third on a double by first baseman Geoff Byrns.
St. John's threatened with runners in scoring position in the
fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but came up empty and still
trailed entering the eighth inning. In the Texas Tech eighth, the
Red Raiders put up two insurance runs, both of which were unearned,
to take a 7-4 lead into the ninth.
Chris Joachim led off the Red Storm ninth with a base on balls
and advanced to second when Smith reached on an error by the first
baseman Byrns. Chris Anninos was hit by a pitch to load the bases,
and a sacrifice fly by Monaghan cut the Red Raider lead to 7-5.
Tech pitcher Collin Auten, who earned the win in yesterday's
contest, struck out Mahoney to end the threat and pick up his third
save of the year.
St. John's is back in action next weekend, traveling to the East
Carolina Invitational to take on host ECU, Duke and Washington from
Feb. 23-25.