Warkentin, Gellenbeck Homer as Xavier Baseball Drops Series Finale

Sunday, April 29

Hayden Field

12 p.m.

Xavier University

15-29, 0

St. John's

28-11, 0

St. John's

Xavier

Warkentin, Gellenbeck Homer as Xavier Baseball Drops Series Finale

04.29.18 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier got a pair of homers from Joe Gellenbeck and Matt Warkentin, but dropped its weekend series finale 9-4 against St. John's on Sunday at Hayden Field.

Xavier dropped to 15-29 (4-8 BIG EAST) with two league series to go this season, while St. John's improved to 28-11 (11-1 BIG EAST) with the win.

UP NEXT

• Xavier has the week off for final exams and resumes action on Friday, May 4 at Butler. First pitch of the three-game series in Indianapolis, Ind. is set for 4 p.m. ET.

XU AT THE PLATE

• Xavier got two homers in the game and now has at least one homer in 12 of its last 14 outings. The Musketeers are up to 49 longballs as a team this season, which leads the BIG EAST and ranks in the top-40 nationally.
• Joe Gellenbeck homered as part of a 2-for-3 afternoon, working a walk in addition to his first inning solo shot. The longball was his sixth of the season and 30th in his career.
• Conor Grammes went 2-for-5 with a run scored to extend his team-high hitting streak to 10 straight games.
• Matt Warkentin was 1-for-4 with a solo homer in the fifth. The longball was his 12th of the season and third of the weekend, as the junior left the yard once in all three games of the series.
• Chris Givin (1-for-4, R), Natale Monastra (1-for-3) and Ryan Altenberger (1-for-3) also added hits for XU.

XU ON THE MOUND

• Freshman Allbry Major got the start and gave XU five innings, allowing seven earned runs and striking out four.
• Conor Grammes came on in relief, striking out a pair in a perfect sixth before running into trouble in the seventh. The sophomore righty left after allowing a pair of earned runs with two on and two out.
• Matt Kent came on in the seventh, loading the bases on a walk before getting a fly ball to get out of the jam.
• Chris Givin recorded his first career strikeout in the eighth and fanned two in two innings of scoreless relief.

HOW XU SCORED

FIRST INNING | Joe Gellenbeck worked a full count with two outs and deposited the payoff pitch over the wall in left center, tying the game at 1-1.
FIFTH INNING | Matt Warkentin led off the inning with a first pitch homer to left center, making it 7-2 and giving the junior first baseman three homers for the weekend.
EIGHTH INNING | Chris Givin and Conor Grammes started the frame with back-to-back singles and Joe Gellenbeck followed suit to load the bases with nobody out. Batting next, Allbry Major worked a full count and walked to score Givin and prompt a pitching change by the Red Storm. Sam Flamini followed with a single to shallow center to score a run and move everyone up, making it 9-4. The Red Storm would escape the jam, however, with three straight strikeouts.

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