St. John’s had a five-run lead in the fourth and a one-run lead in the 10th and couldn’t hold onto either of them.
Playing in their first NCAA Super Regionals, the Red Storm lost to No. 13 Arizona, 7-6 in 10 innings, in Game 1 of a three-game series yesterday in Tucson, Ariz. St. John’s faces elimination at 3 p.m. today in Game 2.
“You win that first game, you’re feeling good,” Johnnies coach Ed Blankmeyer said. “Now you’re not feeling as good and we gotta do the job [today] or we’ll be leaving.”
St. John’s got five runs on seven hits in a fourth-inning barrage against Arizona starter Kurt Heyer, but didn’t score again until the 10th when Sean O’Hare doubled in Frank Schwindel. By that time, Arizona had gotten to Red Storm starter Kyle Hansen for five runs of its own.
“We got 18 hits. That’s a lot of hits,” Blankmeyer said. “But other than the fifth inning and the 10th, we didn’t put anything together.”
The Wildcats loaded the bases against Red Storm relievers Stephen Rivera and Kevin Kilpatrick in the bottom of the 10th and Arizona second baseman Trent Gilbert delivered a game-winning single off James Lomangino to put his team up 1-0 in the series.
Heyer, a sixth-round pick by the Cardinals in the MLB First-Year Player Draft this week, gave up six runs on 17 hits in 9 1/3 innings and Mathew Troupe picked up the win in relief, getting the final two outs of the top of the 10th inning.
Hansen, who was also taken in the sixth round, by the White Sox, allowed five runs, four earned, on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings. Kilpatrick was hit with the loss.
Zach Lauricella went 4-for-5 and Schwindel and Jimmy Brennan each had three hits for the Red Storm. As well as St. John’s hit against Heyer, it never did enough to knock him out of the game and get into Arizona’s weak bullpen.
“We let the guy off the hook,” Blankmeyer said.
St. John’s will send Sean Hagan (8-2, 2.72 ERA), a 29th-round pick by the Twins, to the mound today against Arizona’s Konner Wade (8-3, 4.69).
The Red Storm must win two straight games in order to advance to their first College World Series since 1980.
“We gotta put this one behind us,” Blankmeyer said. “They realize they can play with this club. There’s no fear involved, it’s just a matter of playing good baseball.”