The St. John’s baseball team’s game against Princeton on April 19 was cancelled due to inclement weather.
The Red Storm had just wrapped a weekend sweep of Big East-rival Louisville, during which the Johnnies outscored the Cardinals 21-9. St. John’s returns to Jack Kaiser Stadim on April 21 for a doubleheader against Notre Dame.
Junior shortstop Joe Panik went 6-for-14 and had six RBI in the series against Louisville and was named Big East Player of the Week.In the first game against Louisville, an 8-2 win for the Red Storm, Panik went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Five St. John’s players had multi-hit games and sophomore pitcher Kyle Hansen earned his fourth win in his last five starts go improve to 5-3.
Louisville took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Ty Young hit an RBI double, but the Red Storm countered in the bottom of the frame with two runs to take the lead then extended their lead to 4-1 with two more in the second.
St. John’s capitalized on four Louisville errors in the fourth and increased its lead to 8-2. The Red Storm’s pitchers retired 17 of 23 Louisville hitters after the Cardinals scored a run in the third.
The second game of three ended in dramatic fashion, but with the same result, as the Red Storm won 6-5 after staging a ninth inning comeback. Red Storm starter Kevin Kilpatrick pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed only three runs but did not earn a decision.
Cardinals starter Derek Anlung carried a no-hitter into the seventh before losing it on a Paul Karmas single up the middle scored two runs that reached on a walk and a hit by pitch.
With the score tied at three going into the top of the ninth, Louisville re-took the lead on four consecutive singles that left the score at 5-3.
After St. John’s scored a run to cut the lead to 5-4, Panik tied the game on an RBI fielder’s choice. Baltz then lined a single up the middle with the bases loaded to complete the comeback.
Junior Eddie Medina pitched 2 2/3 relief innings and earned the win.
Panik saved his best for the third game, going 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI to lead St. John’s to a 7-2 win and sweep over Louisville. Rowan Wick also had a home run and three other players had two hits for the Red Storm.
Brendan Lobban earned the win by pitching five innings of one-hit ball and improved to 4-1.
Panik capped the Red Storm scoring in the bottom of the first with a three run blast off the foul pole in right to give St. John’s an early 3-0 early. After Louisville’s Stewart Ijames hit a solo home run to make it 3-1 in the second, Wick answered with a solo shot of his own to make it 4-1. St. John’s scored three more runs to extend their lead to 7-1 before Louisville scored their second and final run in the eighth.
