Published: February 24, 2007
GREENVILLE, N.C.
Duke (9-0) grabbed a lead early and added runs late to defeat
St. John's (0-5), 4-2, at the ECU Invitational and maintain its
perfect start to the 2007 season on Saturday. The Red Storm got
another strong pitching performance by sophomore
Scott Barnes, but the offense was kept quiet by Duke
right-hander Andrew Wolcott, who improved to 2-0 on the season.
Barnes struck out six and allowed five hits and three runs over
six-plus innings, but picked up his first loss after leaving in the
seventh with the Red Storm down 3-1.
Colin Lynch pitched 2.1 solid innings out of the bullpen, and
Rich Armento closed out the game in his first appearance of the
season.
Chris Anninos singled and homered in four at-bats for St.
John's, and
Brian Kemp tied a career-best with three hits for the second
time in four games. Catcher
Brendan Monaghan extended his hitting streak to 17 games with
an RBI single in the fourth inning, and
Sam DeLuca singled and scored his team-leading fifth run of the
season.
Duke pushed a run across in the first inning, as second baseman
Ryan McCurdy hit a leadoff double down the left field line and
scored on an RBI groundout by Jimmy Gallagher.
Barnes kept the Blue Devils off the board for the next five
innings and worked around base runners in the second, third and
fourth innings to keep the Red Storm within a run.
In the bottom of the fourth, St. John's scored its first run on
an RBI single by Monaghan. DeLuca ripped a single through the left
side to start the inning, and Anninos hit an infield single on a
hit-and-run play to put runners on first and second base with one
out. A wild pitch and an
Anthony Smith flyout later, Monaghan beat out a single up the
middle to plate DeLuca and tie the game at 1-1.
The sophomore Barnes continued to get better as the game went on
and sat the Blue Devils down in order in the fifth and sixth
innings. He ran into trouble in the seventh and allowed a run on
two hits before leaving with no outs.
Jonathan Nicolla hit a pop fly down the left field line that
fell in for a double, and Alexander Hassan hit a single that
caromed off the bag at first base to score Nicolla. Lynch entered
the game with a runner on first and nobody out and allowed a run on
a sacrifice fly by Gallagher before working out of the jam.
Down 3-1 in the eighth, Anninos cut the lead in half with one
swing, hitting his first home run of the season to left field. The
Blue Devils added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on an
RBI double by Jonathan Anderson to take a two-run lead, 4-2, and
then closed the game with a runner in scoring position in the ninth
to seal their ninth win of the year.
St. John's returns to Clark-LeClair Stadium for the second game
of a day/night doubleheader when it takes on Washington (0-4) at 7
p.m. Sophomore RHP
Jared Yecker (0-1, 3.86 ERA) is scheduled to start for the Red
Storm, while sophomore LHP Nick Haughian (0-0, 3.00 ERA) toes the
rubber for the Huskies.