NEW ORLEANS - Scott Ferrara hit a two-run home run, and St. John's starter Bruce Kern did not allow a hit in five innings as the Red Storm took a 9-3 win at New Orleans in the season-opener for both teams on Friday.
Jeremy Baltz and Jimmy Parque each had three hits and an RBI, as the Red Storm (1-0) took the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Joe Panik added two hits, including a two-run home run in the ninth.
Kern (1-0) was flawless in his 2010 debut, tossing five scoreless innings. He allowed just one base runner, who reached on a wild-pitch strikeout.
He finished with eight strikeouts.
The Privateers (0-1) tallied four hits overall, including RBI singles from Jay Morris and Nick Schwaner. UNO struggled with 14 strikeouts.
Joe Zimmermann (0-1) got the loss, allowing seven hits and four runs (two earned) in five innings worked.
"We just didn't do a good job of making the adjustments tonight," said UNO head coach Bruce Peddie. "The kids battled, but we had a couple of two-out errors that hurt and obviously too many strikeouts."
St. John's, meanwhile, had 15 hits overall.
The Red Storm jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the Privateers started to rally. UNO picked up two runs in the sixth, including a sacrifice fly from Tyrone Wethers prior to Morris' two-out RBI hit.
After St. John's answered with two runs in the seventh, the Privateers made it interesting. Down 6-2, UNO got an RBI single from Schwaner and later brought the tying run to the plate.
After St. John's reliever Stephen Rivera got a strikeout, UNO sophomore outfielder Rodarrick Jones just missed a game-tying home run -- lifting a fly ball to left that was secured by Baltz.
The Red Storm added three insurance runs in the ninth.
The two teams will continue the series at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
