A no-hitter, a travel-induced tie, and a drought-ending win punctuated a huge weekend for St. John’s
As all eyes turn to college basketball for the second weekend of March Madness and the second week of the transfer portal opening, spring athletics at St. John’s — specifically the softball, baseball, and lacrosse squads — had a weekend wild enough to grab your attention.
Ana Serafinko throws a no-hitter and hits a grand slam in the same game as softball sweeps DePaul
Throwing a no-hitter is one of the most unique accomplishments a softball player can achieve, but also hitting a grand slam in the same game is the stuff of dreams.
Sophomore pitcher Ana Serafinko was a two-way terror for the Red Storm in their road series against DePaul, throwing a six-inning run-rule no-hitter in an 8-0 win over the Blue Demons on Thursday. This was the first no-hitter thrown by a St. John’s softball player in seven years when Tori Free threw a five-inning no-no against Providence in 2017.
She even helped her own cause by belting a towering grand slam over the right field wall in the top of the first inning, giving the Red Storm a six-run lead.
Top 1 | 6-0 SJU
PITCHERS WHO RAKE‼️‼️
Serafinko helps her cause in the best way possible…WITH A GRAND SLAM pic.twitter.com/CjrGCsFOim
— St. John’s Softball (@StJohnsSoftball) March 28, 2024
Other players made big-time plays as well. In the bottom of the sixth of Friday’s game, with two runners on and nobody out, Amy Mallah made a diving catch on Baylee Cosgrove’s bunt attempt, then threw out the runner at first base to force a huge double play and allowed Loreley Francia to close out the inning with a strikeout in the next at-bat. St. John’s would win 4-0, and Mallah’s web gem was featured on that night’s SportsCenter.
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Amy Mallah’s diving grab came in at #4 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays last night‼️ pic.twitter.com/i5TyzsWXPr
— St. John’s Softball (@StJohnsSoftball) March 30, 2024
Serafinko would throw another shutout against DePaul in the getaway game on Saturday, keeping DePaul scoreless in the three-game set and clinching the series sweep to improve their overall record to 19-16 and conference record to 8-4.
Baseball beats Winthrop twice, then ties after five-run comeback
St. John’s baseball continued their white-hot start by finishing undefeated in a three-game series against Winthrop. Due to the campus closing in observance of Good Friday, the baseball team trekked to the United States Merchant Marine Academy campus in Kings Point to play at Bartoszek Field. The weirdness didn’t stop there, as a technical issue with Statbroadcast meant
Starter Xavier Kolhosser was dealing on the “home” diamond, throwing seven scoreless innings and striking out ten Eagle hitters in a 6-0 win. Third baseman Blake Mayberry went 5-for-5 at the plate, hit three RBIs, and was a home run away from completing the cycle.
Rain in the forecast pushed Thursday’s scheduled series opener to Saturday to create a getaway doubleheader. St. John’s unleashed an unbridled onslaught on Winthrop in the first game, winning 18-4 in seven innings due to the doubleheader rule.
Every St. John’s starting hitter recorded a hit, and six players had extra-base hits. Outfielder Ben Beauchamp and second baseman Anthony Brienza stood out amongst the hit parade. Beauchamp went 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, while Brienza went 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBIs. Starter Mario Pesca recorded a quality start by allowing only one earned run in six innings pitched; he also tallied five walks and strikeouts apiece.
St. John’s couldn’t complete the series sweep in the second game of the doubleheader, but they technically made it through the weekend undefeated. Winthrop took a 6-1 lead entering the bottom of the sixth, but St. John’s was able to climb back and knot the game at six in the following two innings thanks to RBIs from Jackson Tucker and Paul Orbon and a game-tying triple by Anthony Brienza as the Red Storm were down to their final out.
His third triple of the day, no bigger than this https://t.co/862IFRBl8A pic.twitter.com/icM7paWbvb
— St. John’s Baseball (@StJohnsBaseball) March 30, 2024
Jackson Tucker had the chance to be the walk-off hero in the next at-bat, but he would ground out to second to end the game at a 6-6 tie because of travel obligations for Winthrop.
Still, you couldn’t ask for a better start to conference play for St. John’s baseball, which has won 19 of its first 25 games. The team entered this weekend ranked 50th in RPI and is currently slated to be a 3-seed in the Fayetteville region in Baseball America’s latest NCAA baseball tournament projection. The team has not reached the NCAA tournament since 2018.
NEW Projected Field Of 64
More than a month into the college baseball season, the Road to Omaha is taking shape https://t.co/WgNfiO1wW8
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) March 27, 2024
Lacrosse completes five-goal comeback versus Marquette, wins first Big East game since 2016
Droughts are meant to be broken. St. John’s may have one of the most snake-bitten men’s lacrosse programs in the country, but for the first time in several years, it feels like they are on an upward trajectory with second-year head coach Justin Turri at the helm. That feeling was validated on Saturday when they came back from a 5-0 deficit to beat Marquette by a score of 13-9, getting their first Big East win since April 30, 2016, when they beat Georgetown at home, 8-5. Saturday’s win snaps a 35-game conference losing streak.
A BUZZER BEATER IN MARCH? DREW WASSERMAN SAYS YES!
11-7 Johnnies at the end of 3 pic.twitter.com/ArmZ8s22Ab
— St. John’s Lacrosse (@StJohnsLax) March 30, 2024
Attacker Brian Kelly and goaltender Kyle Munson were Saturday’s heroes, as Kelly tallied five points (4 goals, one assist), and Munson stopped 13 of 22 Golden Eagles shots.
With a record of 4-7, St. John’s lacrosse has registered its highest win total since 2019, and they have four more games remaining to build on that mark this season.