OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The La Salle baseball team fell 16-7 to the St. John's Red Storm in the series opener on Friday afternoon at Angelo Lorenzo Memorial Field. 

Joey Ravert got the Explorers out to a 2-0 lead with a two-run blast in the 1st inning following a Jared Melone one-out single to left. 

The Red Storm answered quickly with a five-run 1st inning against Ravert (L, 2-2), and added two more against the righty in the 2nd. 

La Salle's Drew Jarmuz made it a 7-4 game with a two-run single in the 3rd and the Explorers scored twice in the 4th to cut SJU's lead to one. Kevin McGowan had an RBI double before Melone delivered a sac fly. 

The Johnnies then put the game away with nine unanswered runs over their next four at-bats before Brian Tagoe hit a solo homer in the 9th with the game already out of reach. 

The Explorers will play a doubleheader with St. John's on Saturday afternoon at Kaiser Stadium. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.