Published: March 28, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y.
St. John's followed one of the program's most prolific offensive
performances, a 24-1 win over Columbia on Tuesday, with its first
shutout of the season in an 8-0 win over Wagner at Jack Kaiser
Stadium on Wednesday. Senior
Ryan Mahoney did most of the damage with three hits and four
RBI for the Red Storm, as the offense backed a second consecutive
strong outing for freshman pitcher
Miguel Valcarcel.
Valcarcel blanked the Seahawks over six innings, allowing five
hits while striking out four and walking none, to win his second
straight start. The rookie threw 56 of his 83 pitches for strikes
and set a new career-best with six innings pitched.
Nick Luisi,
Ryan Cole,
Anthony Smith and
James Lally worked the final three scoreless innings to seal
the Red Storm's first shutout of the year.
Mahoney went 3-for-4 for the second straight day, doubled twice
and collected a season-high four RBI in the win.
Sam DeLuca and
Gil Zayas each scored a team-high two runs, while Smith,
Brendan Monaghan,
Michael Aicardi and
Jeff Grantham all drove in runs for the Red Storm.
Valcarcel and Wagner starter Kyle Morrison both tossed three
scoreless frames to start the game, and the rookie Valcarcel worked
a scoreless fourth before the Red Storm took its first lead.
DeLuca and Zayas led off the bottom half of the fourth with
back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with no
outs. A sacrifice bunt by Smith moved both runners into scoring
position, and a groundout by Monaghan and RBI single by Mahoney
plated them both.
The Red Storm tacked on two more runs in the sixth to open up a
5-0 lead. Mahoney again got into the act, ripping an RBI double
into the right field corner, and Aicardi and Grantham delivered RBI
base hits.
Valcarcel left after the sixth with a five-run advantage, as
Luisi and Cole entered and worked scoreless innings of relief to
preserve the shutout.
St. John's used four hits to push across three more runs and
take an 8-0 lead. Mahoney went to the opposite field with his
second RBI double of the game, and Smith knocked in another run
with a groundout to the shortstop Joseph DiGeronimo.
Smith and Lally combined to work a scoreless ninth to put the
finishing touches on the staff's first shutout of the season.