St. John’s had a tough time at the Bob Schaefer Memorial Classic at Packard Stadium, on the campus of Arizona State University beginning Friday.

The Red Storm (1-8) opened with two losses on the first day. They were beaten 11-5 by UNLV in the first game and dropped a 17-4 decision to Oklahoma State in the second.

Things began well for St. John’s in the first game, as the Johnnies got off to a quick 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Ray Downs, who drove in Charlie Bilezikjian with two outs in the first inning.

Things began to unravel in the sixth, when the Rebels took a 5-2 lead and knocked freshman starter Jim Wladyka out of the game.

In the second game, the Red Storm once again got off to a solid start when Bilezikjian jumped on Oklahoma State’s top pitcher and hit a two-run home run. Tom Klemm retired two batters with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, but then forced a run in when he hit the Cowboys’ Roy Watson. Daylon Monette hit the go-ahead RBI single to give OSU a 3-2 edge.

With a 4-3 lead in the third inning, the team again could not sustain prosperity.

Oklahoma State exploded for six runs in that inning and put up eight more in the fifth before the game was called in the top of the seventh with St. John’s trailing 17-4.

St. John’s finished up on Saturday by falling to No. 21 Arizona State, 11-1.

The only scoring in the game for the Red Storm took place in the fourth inning, when Jason Kane scored on a single by Chad Cambra that cut the lead to 2-1. Kane and Downs had two hits apiece for the Storm.