Published: March 10, 2007
LAKE CHARLES, La.
St. John's (5-8) backed a strong outing from starting pitcher
Jared Yecker to beat McNeese State (3-16), 5-1, on Saturday and
win for the fifth time in six games. Yecker worked into the eighth
inning to win his second straight start, and
Michael Aicardi sparked the offense with a pair of two-out RBI
singles and a walk in four plate appearances.
Yecker allowed five hits and one run in 7.1 innings in his
longest start of the season. The only damage against the 6-foot-6
sophomore came on a fourth-inning solo home run, after which Yecker
retired eight straight hitters as the Red Storm stretched its lead.
James Lally got one big out in the eighth inning, and
Colin Lynch recorded his second save of the week with 1.1
scoreless innings of work and two strikeouts.
For the third time in two starts against McNeese State, Aicardi
drove in runs with two-out singles, and the junior reached base
three times.
Sam DeLuca singled, doubled and drove in a run, and senior
catcher
Brendan Monaghan went 1-for-3 with an RBI, walk and run
scored.
Both starting pitchers cruised through the first three innings,
allowing just a hit apiece to keep the game scoreless. Yecker
erased the Cowboys' first base runner with a pickoff move in the
second and left a runner on third base with a fly out in the
third.
The Red Storm scored two runs in the top of the fourth to grab a
lead, plating one on a throwing error and another on an RBI single
by Aicardi. A groundball off the bat of Monaghan resulted in a
fielder's choice and a run for
Gil Zayas as MSU second baseman Channing Kile threw the ball
away on a double play attempt.
After a walk to
Chris Anninos, Aicardi ripped the first pitch he saw from Sam
English into right field to give St. John's a two-run advantage.
McNeese State cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the inning
on outfielder Charlie Kingrey's third home run of the series – a
solo shot to right field.
St. John's put up another two-run inning in the sixth to stretch
its lead to 4-1.
Anthony Smith got things started with a one-out double to the
base of the right field wall, and Monaghan drove him in with a
single into left field. Aicardi again delivered a two-out RBI
single to score Anninos, who reached on a fielder's choice and
stole second base.
After allowing the homer to Kingrey in the fourth, Yecker sat
down eight straight Cowboy hitters through the sixth inning. First
baseman Brad Becker broke that string with a leadoff double in the
seventh, but Yecker worked around the base runner to maintain the
Red Storm's 4-1 lead.
St. John's tacked on an insurance run in the top of the ninth,
as
Gino Matias scored on an RBI single by DeLuca. The Cowboys made
it interesting in the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate,
but Lynch struck out shortstop Shon Landry to wrap up the team's
fifth win in six tries.
The Red Storm next opens its home schedule on Wednesday against
visiting Albany at Jack Kaiser Stadium. First pitch for the opener
of a five-game home stand is scheduled for 3 p.m.