St. John’s dropped the opener of its series against California Baptist on Friday afternoon, falling 12-3 at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens. The Red Storm made the game competitive in the middle innings, but CBU answered with a decisive sixth-inning surge that broke the contest open.
The Lancers improved to 22-5 after handling the late push from St. John’s, which slipped to 10-15. St. John’s will look to reset quickly in the next game of the series, scheduled for the afternoon at 2 p.m.
CBU Built an Early Cushion
California Baptist scored first and added three more runs in the third inning to move ahead 4-0. St. John’s right-hander Liam O’Leary steadied the game in the first inning after facing a bases-loaded threat, but the Lancers still kept applying pressure with timely offense.
The Red Storm answered in the bottom of the third, when Jon LeGrande drew a walk and Shaun McMillan launched a two-run homer to deep left-center field. The blast, his second of the season, cut the deficit to 4-2 and gave St. John’s a needed spark.
St. John’s Tried to Close the Gap
St. John’s kept working back into the game in the fifth inning. After Rob Mansour reached, Jayder Raifstanger delivered a single that drove him home and trimmed the margin to 4-3.
That rally briefly shifted momentum, but California Baptist quickly regained control. The Lancers erupted for six runs in the sixth inning to push the lead to 10-3 and effectively take the game out of reach.
Key Performers for the Red Storm
St. John’s found some offensive production from the middle of the order, with McMillan and Raifstanger doing most of the damage. McMillan finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs and two walks, while Raifstanger went 2-for-4 with one run batted in.
The rest of the lineup struggled to generate sustained offense, though Dylan Fitzsimmons and Rob Mansour each added a hit. California Baptist then added two more runs in the ninth and held off a late St. John’s effort.
Pitching Notes and Game Summary
O’Leary worked 5.0 innings for St. John’s and allowed four runs on six hits. Brady Clark finished the game and gave the Red Storm 2.1 innings of relief work, allowing one earned run as the Lancers kept extending the lead.
The result left St. John’s with a quick turnaround heading into the next matchup. The series continues with another afternoon game, and the Red Storm will need sharper pitching and earlier production at the plate to even the set.
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