By Anthony Bosco
The St. John’s Red Storm pitcher Joe Reid tossed a complete game Sunday against Seton Hall, leading the team to an 8-4 win and helping prevent a series sweep by the Pirates.
Reid, who battled control problems early in the game, retired 13 of the last 17 batters he faced, helping St. John’s (23-15 overall, 13-7 Big East) to a tie for second place in the conference with Rutgers. He gave up only five hits, walking seven and striking out a career-high 10.
St. John’s, which belted out 21 hits in the win, batted around in the first inning, tattooing Seton Hall starter Jeff Barrow for four runs. Charlie Bilezikjian started the onslaught with a single and moved to third on an error. He scored on Chris Fallon’s single before Eric Potts added another hit, putting runners on first and second. Anthony DeRosa singled both runners home and moved to third on an error.
DeRosa scored the final run of the inning on a single by Jason Kane.
Reid gave up two in the second after walking the three batters and giving up a bases-loaded single to Joe Cuervo. Seton Hall tied the game in the fifth when Mike Bascom and Casey Grimm hit one-out singles and Brian Leighton doubled.
St. John’s retook the lead in the sixth when Eric Potts singled and reached second on a throw to third that nailed lead runner Bilezikjian, who had reached on a single. DeRosa then reached on an error and advanced to second, scoring Potts to make the score 5-4.
St. John’s added two more in the seventh, as Asa Grunenwald and Billy Graiser both singled and J.P. Cirigliano walked. Bilezikjian reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Grunenwald, and moved to second on one a SHU’s six errors, scoring Graiser.
The final run came around in the eighth, as Jason Fischette singled, stole second, moved to third on an error and scored on Cirigliano’s single.
Seton Hall 4-6, St. John’s 3-4. The Red Storm’s nine-game winning streak came to an end Friday night with a 6-4 loss to Seton Hall. St. John’s led 4-3 after scoring twice in the seventh when Fallon belted a two-run home run over the left field fence. But after starter Greg Orsogna hit Kevin Leighton, he was pulled with one out in the eighth for Bilezikjian. Seton Hall tied the game on a single and error and won the game on a two-run blast by Shawn Tarkington.
In the second game, Seton Hall won in 13 innings when Cuervo blasted a solo home run, erasing what had been a solid outing by Red Storm starter Marc Goldberg.
St. John’s 12, Fordham 8. The Red Storm scored four times in the eighth inning to break an 8-8 tie and defeat the Fordham Rams in a non-league contest last Thursday. Bilezikjian was 3-for-6 with three RBIs, Graiser was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and Cirigliano was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Queens 11-3-1, Dowling 9-10-2. The Queens College Knights prevented a three-game sweep Sunday, wining the final game. Pete Cavouto, who was 3-for-3 in the win, homered and scored the eventual winning run in the eighth on first baseman Mike Eddy’s double. Queens is now 11-15 overall and 10-9 in NYCAC play and with shot to still make the conference playoffs.
Softball
Queens 8-2, Dominican 2-1. The Lady Knights got a two-hitter from pitcher Lauren Wells, striking out eight, and Cheryl Cosenzo added a home run and two RBIs in the first game. In the nightcap, Jessica Blake provided the offense, including an RBI double. Queens is now 19-13 on the year.
St. John’s 1-1, Villanova 0-2. The Red Storm handed the Wildcats their first Big East defeat in the first game Sunday as sophomore Courtney Fitzgerald went the distance, hurling a six-hit shutout. Fitzgerald was named Big East Pitcher of the Week. Marilyn Brown’s solo home run in the fourth proved to be the difference. In the nightcap, Villanova scored in the bottom of the seventh to break a 1-1 tie, handing starter Gina Calabrese her 12th defeat of the season. The Red Storm is now 28-25 on the year and 6-8 in the Big East.
St. John’s 2-1, Rutgers 0-3. Fitzgerald scattered six hits and struck out six in the first game, while Calabrese was the hard-luck loser in the nightcap, giving up a two-run homer that was all the offense the Scarlet Knights would need.
St. John’s 5-9, Marist 1-3. Three players hit home runs for the Red Storm and every batter got a hit as St. John’s cruised to a two-game non-conference sweep over the Marist Red Foxes last Thursday.
Tennis
St. John’s 4, Boston College 0. The Red Storm finished fifth at the Big East championships, beating Boston College this weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Complex in Coral Gables, Fla. Cameron Lore and Fabian Carchi won at No. 3 doubles, Erik Scharff won 1-0 over Justin Slattery (retired), Carchi cruised in No. 2 singles with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Brad Anderson and Brian Scharff won in No. 4 singles, 6-0, 7-5. The Red Storm ended its season with a 10-7 overall record and 5-3 in the Big East.
Rutgers 4, St. John’s 3. Erik Scharf won in first singles, Fabian Carchi won in third singles and Cameron Lore won in fifth singles for the Red Storm, but could not get the crucial fourth win.
Bayside’s Modi finishes stellar season at Rutgers
Sophomore Kamla Modi, a Bayside native, recently completed her season with the Rutgers gymnastics team, competing in vault, bars, beam, floor and all-around. Modi’s composite scores in her strongest events were 9.218 on bars and 9.170 on the floor exercise. Modi, who holds a 3.44 GPA, was one of eight Rutgers gymnasts named to the EAGL All-Academic team.
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
