CLEARWATER, Fla. – Centerfielder A.J. Pollock  went 4-for-6 with three RBIs as part of Notre Dame’s 17-hit performance as the Fighting Irish took a 14-5 win against St. John’s in the first game of the 2009 BIG EAST Baseball Championship Tuesday at Bright House Field.

The No. 5 seeded Fighting Irish (34-21) will face the winner of Tuesday’s second game between eighth-seeded Cincinnati and top-seeded Louisville at 1 p.m. Wednesday in second-round action. Fourth-seeded St. John’s (29-21) will face the loser of that game in an elimination game Wednesday at 10 a.m.

The top three hitters in Notre Dame’s lineup – Pollock, leftfielder Golden Tate and shortstop Jeremy Barnes – combined for nine hits and seven RBIs as the Fighting Irish broke open what had been a one-run game by scoring 10 runs in the last three innings.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead with a four-run second inning, getting on the board with sacrifice flies by Cameron McDonnell and A.J. Pollock and taking on two more on RBI singles by Jeremy Barnes and Evan Sharpley.

The Red Storm got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of back-to-back hits to start the inning with a sacrifice bunt and a fielder’s choice to make it 4-1. The Red Storm tacked on two more in the fifth on Paul Karmas’s RBI single to left and a bases-loaded balk that brought Karmas to make it 4-3.

Notre Dame took advantage of two St. John’s errors in the top of the seventh to score three more runs. McConnell’s grounder to short was misplayed, allowing Brayden Ashdown to score, and McConnell came around on Pollock’s RBI single. Barnes drew a bases-loaded walk to give the Fighting Irish a 7-3 lead.

St. John’s again cut into the lead when Karmas hit a two-run home run to left into a strong wind to make it 7-5, but the Fighting Irish regained the four-run cushion on Greg Sherry’s sacrifice fly and Pollock’s double to right center.

Barnes’s home run to right started a five-run ninth inning for Notre Dame to put the game away.

Notre Dame starter Cole Johnson worked six strong innings to get the win and improve to 7-2 on the year. Johnson allowed five hits and three runs with six strikeouts before yielding to Todd Miller. Miller allowed two runs in three innings and was credited with his fifth save of the year.

Nick Cenatiempo took the tough-luck loss for St. John’s, falling to 5-3 after allowing six runs (two earned) in 6.2 innings.

2009 BIG EAST Baseball Championship

Bright House Field, Clearwater, Fla.

Tuesday, May 19 - Four games

(Live video on www.bigeastbaseball.com, live audio on Sirius XM Radio)

Game 1 – No. 5 Notre Dame 14, No. 4 St. John’s 5

Game 2 – No. 8 Cinicnnati vs. No. 1 Louisville, 1 p.m.

Game 3 – No. 6 Connecticut vs. No. 3 West Virginia, 5 p.m.

Game 4 – No. 7 Pittsburgh vs. No. 2 USF, 8 p.m.

Wednesday, May 20 - Four games

(Live video on www.bigeastbaseball.com, live audio on Sirius XM Radio)

Game 5 – St. John’s vs. Loser of Game 2, 10 a.m.

Game 6 – Notre Dame vs. Winner of Game 2, 1 p.m.

Game 7 – Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4, 5 p.m.

Game 8 – Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 8 p.m.

Thursday, May 21 - Two games

(Live video on www.bigeastbaseball.com, live audio on Sirius XM Radio)

Game 9 – Loser of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 5, 4 p.m.

Game 10 – Loser of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 7, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 22 - Two, three, or four games

(Live video on www.bigeastbaseball.com, live audio on Sirius XM Radio)

Game 11 – Winner of Game 6 vs. Winner of Game 9, 10 a.m.

Game 12 – Winner of Game 8 vs. Winner of Game 10, 1 p.m.

Game 13 – Loser of Game 11 vs. Winner of Game 11, 5 p.m. (if necessary)

Game 14 – Loser of Game 12 vs. Winner of Game 12, 6:30 p.m. or 8 p.m.

(if necessary; game would be at 6:30 if Game 13 is not necessary, 8 p.m. otherwise)

Saturday, May 23 - Championship game

(live television on ESPNU, live audio on Sirius XM Radio)

Game 15 – Winner of Group 1 vs. Winner of Group 2, 1 p.m.