April 26, 2008

Box Score

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The St. John's baseball team plated three runs in the ninth to rally past No. 24 Notre Dame, 6-4, in a game televised nationally on ESPNU. Gino Matias plated the eventual game-winning run in the top of the ninth with a single to lead St. John's (31-9, 13-4). Jeff Grantham was 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Chris Anninos and Carlos Del Rosario were each 2-for-4 for the Red Storm. George Brown earned a no-decision after allowing just three runs over 7.0 strong innings. Wade Korpi allowed just three runs, two earned, in 7.1 innings to pace Notre Dame (27-12-1, 12-5).

St. John's got on the board with two runs in the top of the second to take an early 2-0 lead. Gil Zayas led off the inning with a walk. Chris Anninos, who homered twice the night before, launched a double off the top of the wall in left center. With runners on second and third, Greg Hopkins plated Zayas with a sacrifice fly to deep center as Anninos also moved to third. Carlos Del Rosario then followed with a double just inside of third base to plate Anninos and give St. John's a 2-0 lead.

After allowing a one-out single in the first, Brown would retire the next six batters and 13 of the next 14. The lefty, who tossed a first pitch strike to the first 10 batters of the game, faced just the minimum through the first 5.0 innings. A one-out single led to a 6-4-3 double play in the first and a two-out single in the third led to a caught stealing at second base.

Korpi, though, would also settle in. After the Del Rosario double, Korpi retired the next 12 batters before allowing an infield single to Grantham in the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, Brown allowed a pair of one-out singles as the Irish reached second base for the first time in the game. Brett Lilley then rolled a grounder to Grantham for what looked like an inning-ending double play. After the force at second, however, the throw to first was wide and the inning continued. David Mills would follow with an RBI single to put Notre Dame on the board, but Brown would get a fly out to end the inning.

The Irish would tie the game at 2-2 in the seventh on a solo home run by Jeremy Barnes. Brown would plunk Brezovsky and Notre Dame would move up the runner with a sacrifice bunt. Sean Gaston would then single to right field and Anninos would come up throwing as Brezovsky rounded third. The throw reached home in time and Benedetti applied the tag as Anninos gunned down a runner at home for the third straight BIG EAST series. Brown would tally his second strike out to end the inning.

The Red Storm came right back to retake the lead in the eighth. With one out, Gino Matias sent a towering pop up to shallow right center. Second baseman Barnes was camped out underneath the ball, but dropped it. Hustling right out of the box, Matias was able to reach second base. Grantham followed with a single through the left side. Matias began to round third, but was held up. Left fielder Brezovsky, however, bobbled the ball on the play and Matias trotted home to put St. John's up 3-2. From there, the Irish would go to the bullpen and bring in Kyle Weiland.

A lead off single in the eighth would end the day for Brown as the Red Storm went to Colin Lynch. Notre Dame would then use the sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to second. After Lynch induced a fly out, A.J. Pollock lined an RBI single through the left side to tie the game at 3-3. Lynch would get a groundout to end the inning and the send the game into the ninth inning.

With one out in the ninth, Del Rosario sent a slow chopper over the head of Weiland for an infield single. Benedetti followed with a single into left field before pinch hitter Tom La Stella reached on a fielder's choice that erased Benedetti at second. With runners on the corners and two outs, Matias rolled a slow grounder towards third. Third baseman Greg Sherry charged, but the throw to first was not in time and Del Rosario scored the go-ahead run. Grantham then blooped a high fly ball into shallow left field. A trio of Irish players swarmed the area, but the ball dropped in. Two runs would score as Grantham reached second with a two RBI double that gave the Red Storm a 6-3 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth Lynch (1-1) returned to the mound. Brezovsky led off the inning with a double over the head of Del Rosario in left field and then moved to third on a groundout. An RBI groundout would plate a run for Notre Dame, but Lynch would strike out Evan Sharpley to end the game.