May 30, 1980

Baseball

St. John's - 6 Arizona - 1

Twenty-nine years ago today, St. John's opened the College World Series with a 6-1 victory over the University of Arizona at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska. Sophomore Frank Viola won his 10th game in eleven decisions, tossing a 4-hitter against the powerful PAC-10 champions.

Viola survived a shaky first inning, walking four of the first six batters he faced. However the southpaw from East Meadow kept the Wildcats off the board, thanks to a pickoff of Dwight Taylor at second base. Arizona's Wes Clements hit a solo home run off Viola in the third inning but that would be all 'Sweet Music' would allow against the eventual national champions.

"Frank has trouble in the first inning," head coach Joe Russo said, "but he had 16 ground balls, and that's his kind of game. He just has to work out his problems."

"That's as good a pitching as we've seen in a long time," said Arizona coach Jerry Kindall, whose team dropped to 40-21-1. "We only got four hits. You can't win a game in the College World Series on four hits."

The Redmen (30-9) took the lead for good in the fourth inning on a two-run double by shortstop Brian Miller. St. John's struck for three more in the fifth, keyed by sophomore catcher Don Giordano's bases clearing double, extending to a 5-1 lead. Miller added an RBI single for the Johnnies in the eighth to close out the scoring.

St. John's would lose it's next two games to Hawaii and California. Arizona, ranked second nationally, would run the table and claim the title aided by a roster that had eight future Major Leaguer's, including current Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, the CWS Most Outstanding Player.