By Dylan Butler
Anthony Varvaro wore them like medals of honors, one ice bag on his right elbow, the other on his right shoulder.
The St. John’s pitcher just threw a complete-game shutout as the Red Storm blanked Big East foe Virginia Tech, 2-0, Sunday at The Ballpark at St. John’s.
After throwing 126 pitches in nine innings, Varvaro improved to 4-0, St. John’s improved to 5-1 in the conference and the Hokies fell to 0-6 in the Big East (12-13 overall) and were all but eliminated from tournament contention just two weeks into the Big East season.
“He’s my trump card,” St. John’s coach Ed Blankmeyer said of Varvaro, who also pitched a complete-game, nine-inning Big East shutout against Boston College last year. “He can end a streak or he can put the knife in someone like today.”
Varvaro’s conversation with St. John’s coach Ed Blankmeyer heading into the ninth inning was short, as was Blankmeyer’s leash on his sophomore starter. Closer Craig Hansen was coming into the game if one Hokie reached base in the ninth inning.
But that never happened.
After striking out Wyatt Toregas, Varvaro got Warren Schaeffer and Chris Stanton to fly out to wrap up the Red Storm’s 12th win in its last 14 games.
“All I was looking for was one run today,” said Varvaro, who gave up seven hits, struck out four, walked three and hit two Hokies. “I had confidence in my fielders, I threw strikes and I knew if they put the ball in play we’d get out of here.”
Varvaro got that run in the seventh inning on a two-out rally started by the hustle of catcher Joe Burke, who dived head first into the first-base bag on a drag bunt, just beating Sean O’Brien’s tag.
“I just wanted to get on base any way I could,” Burke said. “I saw the first baseman back, and I had a feeling I could drag it that way and try and beat the pitcher to the bag.”
The play seemed to invigorate a St. John’s offense that was stagnant to that point.
Burke moved to second on a wild pitch and, after Chris Joachim walked, scored what proved to be the game-winning run as Eddie Schultz blooped Andrew Wells’ 3-2 pitch into short left-center field.
St. John’s (15-9, 5-1) added an insurance run in the eighth inning when Eric Grabowski, who reached on a throwing error by shortstop Warren Schaeffer, scored on a sacrifice fly by PJ Antoniato after advancing to third on a gorgeous bunt single by Mike Rozema.
“We have some injuries. Some guys are stepping up. I think we have depth in the pitching staff and there are certain things we need to do better to be a very good ballclub,” Blankmeyer said. “One of them is how well can we play on the road. How well we can play in the conference is going to determine what kind of year we’re going to have.”
Blankmeyer will find that out Thursday when the Red Storm plays a doubleheader at Connecticut before heading to Notre Dame for two games Monday.
St. John’s 9, Virginia Tech 5. Trailing 5-3 in the nightcap of a doubleheader Saturday, the Red Storm exploded for six runs in the seventh inning, highlighted by Eddie Schultz’s pinch-hit, two-run triple to sweep the Hokies.
Justin Muir improved to 2-0 for the Johnnies, pitching three innings of no-hit ball in relief of starter Jim Wladyka. Brett Corey gave up six runs — four earned — in 1.2 innings to fall to 2-2.
St. John’s 3, Virginia Tech 2. Rozema was 3-for-4 and drove in the game-winning run with a one-out single in the seventh and final inning of the front end of a doubleheader for the Red Storm.
Hansen threw the final 1.1 innings for his first win of the season while Ryan Kennedy picked up the loss for the Hokies, falling to 3-3.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
