Published: June 03, 2007
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.
Junior outfielder
Chris Anninos delivered in a big way for St. John's, tying the
game with a two-run home run in the second inning and hitting a
walk-off solo homer in the ninth to lift the Red Storm to a 4-3 win
over VCU on Sunday afternoon. Anninos also hit an RBI single in the
game and went 3-for-3 on the day with four RBI as St. John's stayed
alive at the NCAA Myrtle Beach Regional and tied a program record
with its 41st win of the season.
The victory came in the Red Storm's third straight game decided
in the final at-bat. St. John's had lost the previous two matchups,
3-2 to Clemson on Friday and 8-7 to Connecticut in a BIG EAST
Championship elimination game on May 24.
The Red Storm moved its season record to 41-18 and advanced to
play a second Sunday game and take on the loser of a matchup
between Coastal Carolina and Clemson. First pitch for the night
contest is scheduled for 8 p.m., but is dependent upon game time
between the Chanticleers and Tigers.
Anthony Smith added two hits and scored two runs for St.
John's, and second baseman
Sam DeLuca went 2-for-4 and saved runs in the top of the ninth
by snaring a line drive and doubling up Carlos Rodriguez at second
base. Anninos continued a hot postseason, over which he has gone
8-for-17 at the plate with two home runs and seven RBI.
The walk-off homer made a winner of reliever
Colin Lynch, who got the final two outs of the ninth inning.
Starting pitcher
Jared Yecker and reliever
Ryan Cole both had solid outings, but got no-decisions when VCU
tied it with a home run in the ninth. Yecker allowed seven hits and
three runs over 4.2 innings, while the only hit Cole allowed was a
game-tying homer to third baseman Chris Jackson.
The teams traded runs in the second inning and went into a rain
delay in the third tied at 2-2. Back-to-back triples by Chris
Jackson and Justin Wright plated the Rams' first run, and right
field Trai Harris followed with a flare single into right-center to
give VCU a 2-0 lead.
St. John's tied it up with one swing in the bottom half of the
second, as Anninos blasted his sixth homer of the season to left
field. Smith led off the inning with a single into center field and
scored on Anninos' home run, which came with a full count and two
outs.
The rains came in the middle of the third and delayed the game
for 54 minutes. The Red Storm wasted little time when action
resumed, scoring two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-2
lead. Smith scored on a throwing error by second baseman Richard
Gonzalez, and Anninos drove in his third run of the day with a
single through the left side.
The Rams scored a run of their own and knocked Yecker out of the
game in the top of the fifth, closing to within a run, 4-3. The
sophomore allowed a pair of singles to start the frame and allowed
a run on a double play ball from Luke Pisker. After allowing a
double to first baseman Jared Bolden, Yecker was relieved by Cole,
who struck out John Leonard to end the threat.
Cole retired 10 straight batters in order in the sixth, seventh
and eighth before lightning and rains came again in the middle of
the eighth, this time delaying the game for 44 minutes while the
skies cleared. When the game resumed, Cole surrendered his first
hit when Jackson tied the game with a towering fly ball that
cleared the left field wall. Lynch came on to relieve Cole and
walked the first batter he faced before inducing a lineout double
play by Gonzalez.
VCU reliever Luke Pisker retired
Brendan Monaghan and
Ryan Mahoney in the Red Storm ninth, but hung a 1-1 slider to
Anninos that was sent over the scoreboard in left-center field for
a walk-off win.