Published: March 31, 2007
QUEENS, N.Y.
St. John's (12-10, 3-2 BIG EAST) built a lead with eight early
runs, and
Matt Tosoni pitched five strong innings out of the bullpen, as
the Red Storm clinched a series win over Rutgers (12-12, 3-2) with
a 10-7 Saturday win. Tosoni picked up his second victory of the
week by allowing six hits and two runs and striking out five over
five innings, while first baseman
Ryan Mahoney went 3-for-5 with a two-run home run and three
runs scored.
The Red Storm looks for a sixth straight victory and a
three-game sweep of the visiting Scarlet Knights on Sunday at
noon.
Mahoney also doubled in the contest and stretched the Red
Storm's lead to four runs, 10-6, in the sixth inning with his
team-leading seventh home run of the year.
Sam DeLuca singled and had a game-high three RBI, while leadoff
hitter
Brian Kemp had three hits, two RBI, a stolen base and a run
scored in four at-bats. Including Mahoney, the last three hitters
in the Red Storm lineup combined to go 7-for-13 with three RBI and
six runs scored.
Tosoni, who started and won against Columbia on Tuesday, threw
80 pitches in relief of starting pitcher
Jared Yecker to earn his second win in five days. Yecker went
four innings, allowing nine hits and five runs and striking out
two, before giving way to Tosoni in the fifth. Behind Tosoni and
Yecker, the St. John's defense turned three double plays for the
second straight day and played its third errorless game of the
season.
Rutgers got a quick lead with a run in the top of the first, but
the Red Storm answered with three runs in the bottom half of the
frame.
Jeff Grantham got St. John's on the board with a single into
left-center field, while Kemp added an RBI infield single and
DeLuca a sacrifice fly to center.
The Scarlet Knights plated another run in the third to cut the
lead to 4-2, but the Red Storm again answered in a big way,
rattling off six hits and scoring five runs in the bottom of the
inning. Kemp delivered another RBI infield single, Mahoney scored
on a fielder's choice, DeLuca lined a two-run single up the middle
and
Gil Zayas singled in a run through the left side.
Rutgers scored three more runs in the fourth and one in the
fifth to chase Yecker from the game and get within two runs, 8-6.
Tom Edwards scored on a double play ball, and Luis Feliz and Todd
Frazier had back-to-back run-scoring hits in the fourth. Tosoni
relieved Yecker to start the fifth and allowed an RBI single by
Edwards, before inducing an inning-ending double play.
Mahoney's two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth gave the Red
Storm two valuable insurance runs and a 10-6 lead heading into the
late innings. Tosoni kept Rutgers off the board in the sixth,
seventh and eighth and allowed a run on a groundout in the ninth to
close out the win.
The Red Storm looks for a series sweep on Sunday at noon when
junior left-hander
George Brown (2-0, 5.12 ERA) takes the mound against Rutgers
right-hander Casey Gaynor (1-1, 4.19 ERA).