St. John's Evens Series With O'Connell

Tuesday afternoon saw No. 1 St. John's College travel to Bishop O'Connell to take on the Knights in game two of their WCAC Tournament Semifinal series. O'Connell beat the Cadets on Monday, 6-3, to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series and to become the first team from VA or DC to defeat St. John's this spring. The 5-time defending WCAC Champs would use a dominant pitching effort and a pair of big innings to jump out early and cruise to a 9-0 win, forcing a rubber match Wednesday.

Both teams opened the game with righties, O'Connell starting with junior Corey Knauf and St. John's going with freshman James Triantos (North Carolina). Both pitchers worked scoreless first innings, with Knauf working around a walk and Triantos striking out a pair in a perfect inning.

In the top of the second, Quinn Allen led off for the Cadets with a single to right center. He advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches while Justin Riemer was attempting to sacrifice him over. Riemer ended up working a walk and then Dylan Winebrenner got his sacrifice attempt down, reaching safely as Allen scored the game's first run. James Wood beat out his sacrifice bunt for a base hit to load the bases, with still no outs in the inning. Knauf got a pop out for the first out, and then Ian Remalia (Liberty) grounded a ball up the middle that nearly went for an inning double play, but the relay went up the rightfield line, allowing two more runs to score. The inning ended there with St. John's leading 3-0.

Triantos struck out two more in a perfect bottom of the second and then led the third off with a double, which ended Knauf's afternoon. St. John's would go on to add six runs in the inning, with three more bunts going for base hits in the inning. Winebrenner had a 2 RBI single that was the ultimate big blow in an inning where the first seven hitters reached safely. In the bottom half of the inning, Triantos again struck out two quickly, and St. John's led 9-0 after three innings.

The game was essentially decided at this point in time, Triantos' perfect game was broken up by Ryan Bhojwani in the fourth. Both teams threatened in the seventh, but otherwise the game cruised to a 9-0 final, with St. John's tying the series and forcing a game three back in DC on Wednesday afternoon.

For St. John's, Triantos went 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 7 K, 0 BB and was also 1-3. Quinn Allen was 2-3 with an RBI. Reimer was 2-3 with a walk and a double. Winebrenner was 2-4 with 3 RBIs. 

For O'Connell, James Ebron threw well out of the pen and 4.2 IP while charged with 0 R, 3 H, 5 K, 1 BB. Bhojwani, Eddie Eisert (NC State), and Riley O'Donovan all finished 1-3.