Published: March 27, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y.
St. John's (9-10) pounded out 24 hits and scored 24 runs to beat
Columbia, 24-1 (7-11-1), and tie the third-largest margin of
victory in school history at Jack Kaiser Stadium on Tuesday
afternoon. The Red Storm reached base 42 times, including 16 walks,
and had 12 different players collect RBI in the team's first
20-plus run output since a 29-6 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on
April 6, 2005.
Designated hitter
Anthony Smith homered twice for St. John's – his fifth and
sixth of the season – and first baseman
Ryan Mahoney hit a two-run homer as part of a 3-for-4 day. The
seniors both homered in a 10-run fifth inning for the Red Storm –
the third time this season that they hit home runs in the same
frame. Smith and reserves
Gino Matias and
Daniel Rose all drove in a game-high three runs, while Mahoney
and
Jeff Grantham both crossed the plate four times.
Starting pitcher
Matt Tosoni cruised through five innings to pick up his first
win of the season. Tosoni retired 12 of the first 13 batters he
faced and allowed one run on four hits, while striking out seven
and walking none. Freshmen
Matt Owens and
Nick Cenatiempo both pitched two innings of scoreless relief,
as Red Storm hurlers struck out 11 hitters and did not issue a
walk.
St. John's first got going with three runs in the second, third
and fourth innings, then blew the game wide open with a 10-run
fifth. The Red Storm loaded the bases in the second and scored runs
on a walk, a fielder's choice and a double by
Sam DeLuca. Grantham tripled in two runs to highlight a
three-run third, and Smith and Mahoney hit solo and two-run homers
to open up a 9-0 lead in the fourth.
The Red Storm needed just five hits to put up 10 runs in the
decisive fifth inning, as five hitters drew walks in the inning.
Smith hit his second round tripper of the contest, a two-run shot
just inside the right field foul pole, while
Jose Iglesias hit an RBI single and Matias a two-run double in
an inning that saw six pinch hitters.
Tosoni cruised until the bottom half of the fifth when he
yielded his first run on a sacrifice fly by Mike Malfettone. The
redshirt junior exited after the fifth, having allowed just four
hits and one run, while striking out seven and walking none.
Owens and Cenatiempo cruised through late innings, and St.
John's tacked on two more late runs to post a 24-1 victory.
The Red Storm plays host to Wagner on Wednesday at 3 p.m.,
before returning to BIG EAST Conference action with a three-game
weekend set against Rutgers.