Baseball Takes 4-3 Win Over St. John's in Series Opener

Friday, April 26

Cincinnati, Ohio

3:00 PM

Xavier University

22-20, 0

St. John's

25-11, 0

St. John's

Xavier

Baseball Takes 4-3 Win Over St. John's in Series Opener

04.26.24 | Baseball

Box Score Season Stats Box Score Photos

Kelly and Hughes combined for 10 strikeouts for the Musketeers

By: Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - A pair of home runs and 10 strikeouts from Xavier's staff help the Musketeers to a 4-3 win in the series opener against St. John's on Friday afternoon at Hayden Field.

Xavier moved to 22-20 overall and 6-4 in BIG EAST play with the win, while St. John's moved to 25-11-1 overall and 6-4 in conference play.

Xavier led 1-0 after the first inning on a solo home run from Aedan Anderson, his team-high 13th of the season. The Musketeers stretched it to a 4-0 lead after the second on a three-run homer from Luke Hammond, which brought in Hayden Christiansen and Connor Misch who each got on with a single.

The Red Storm countered with a three-run homer in the third to cut the Xavier lead to 4-3, but Jonathan Kelly had a career-high matching six strikeouts to help hold St. John's off the board into the eighth inning. Nolan Hughes entered with one on and no outs in the top of the eighth inning, striking out four of the final six batters to keep the one-run lead intact on the way to the win for the Musketeers.

Game two with the Red Storm is set for Saturday, April 27 with a 1:00 p.m. first pitch at Hayden Field.

AT THE PLATE

Aedan Anderson finished 2-of-4, driving in an RBI and scoring a run on his solo home run in the first inning, his team-leading 13th homer of the season.
Luke Hammond finished 2-of-2 with a walk, driving in three RBI and scoring a run on his second-inning home run, his 10th of the year.
Hayden Christiansen finished 3-of-4 at the plate with a run scored.
Connor Misch went 2-of-4 with a run scored.
Jake Lambdin and Jared Cushing each recorded a hit on an 11-hit day for the Musketeers.
Carter Hendrickson got on with a walk.

ON THE MOUND

Jonathan Kelly made the start, allowing three runs, all unearned, on seven hits in 7.0 innings of work. Kelly matched his career-high mark with six strikeouts while issuing just two walks on the way to picking up the win, his second of the season.
Nolan Hughes entered in the eighth with one on and nobody out, striking out three in a row to get out of the inning. Hughes faced the minimum in a scoreless 2.0 innings of work, picking up four strikeouts along the way to earn his first save of the season.

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