St. John’s Upsets No. 2/2 Florida, 9-5

Friday, February 16

Gainesville, Fla. (McKethan Field / Condron Ballpark)

6:30 p.m.

St. John's University

1-0

No. 2 Florida

0-1

St. John's

Florida

2/16/2024 10:27:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm earns highest ranked victory since taking down No. 1 Virginia in the 2010 Charlottesville Regional

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The St. John's baseball team upset No. 2/2 Florida, 9-5, in front of a record crowd of 7,898 at Condron Family Ballpark on Friday.

The win marks the highest ranked victory since taking down No. 1 Virginia, 6-5, in the NCAA Tournament at the Charlottesville Regional on June 6, 2010, and is the highest regular-season win in program history. The Johnnies will go for its first series win over a ranked opponent since taking two of three against former conference foe then-No. 8 Louisville (April 19-21, 2013).

Florida (0-1) suffered just its second season-opening loss under the direction of 17^th-year Head Coach Kevin O'Sullivan and the first since falling to Duke at the start of the 2013 campaign.

Sophomore Jimmy Keenan went 2-for-4 at the dish with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Adam Agresti made his collegiate debut on Friday, also going 2-for-4 at the dish with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Second baseman Anthony Brienza and newcomer Garrett Scavelli registered two RBIs apiece.

Ben Beauchamp matched Keenan and Agresti with a 2-for-4 performance along with a run scored and an RBI. Blake Mayberry crossed home plate twice and tallied an RBI, as did Jackson Tucker, who launched the team's lone home run of the contest in a two-hit day at the plate.

On the mound, starter Xavier Kolhosser picked up the win with his five-inning showing, remaining undefeated as a Johnnie and moving to 4-0 in his career. Reliever Ben Adams tossed three shutout innings for the Red Storm, allowing just two hits and striking out two batters.

The Johnnies stormed out of the gate with a two-out rally in the opening frame. After Mayberry was plunked, Keenan slapped an RBI double down the left-field line to take a 1-0 edge. Aries Samek made an immediate impact, taking a 1-2 pitch the other way and scoring Keenan on an RBI single to right, 2-0.

After Kolhosser retired the Gators in order, St. John's put a three-spot on the board in the top of the second. The Red Storm played small ball to load the bases with no outs. Scavelli plated Jace Jeremiah and Brienza on a double to left-center, before Mayberry brought Tucker around on a sacrifice fly, taking a 5-0 lead.

Agresti registered his first collegiate hit to start the third inning, roping a leadoff double to left field and chasing Gators' starter Cade Fisher. After Beauchamp legged out a double, Brienza bumped the Red Storm lead to seven with a two-run triple down the right-field line and bringing Beauchamp and Agresti around to score.

Florida broke through with three runs in the home half of the third, followed by a one-spot in both the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Red Storm lead down to two, 7-5.

Freshman TJ Winn Jr. made his Red Storm debut in the bottom of the sixth inning and retired two of the first three batters he faced. The southpaw Adams came on with two outs to face lefty Michael Robertson and retired the redshirt sophomore on strikes to remain ahead by a pair.

After a blank seventh inning, Tucker rocketed a 2-1 pitch from Fisher Jameson over the left field wall, giving the Red Storm an 8-5 lead in the eighth. The Red Storm continued to apply pressure, loading the bases after walks to Mayberry and Chad Falcon sandwiched a Keenan double. Beauchamp cashed in on a bases-loaded walk of his own, giving the Red Storm a four-run advantage, 9-5.

Adams settled in after a leadoff double by Colby Shelton in the eighth, retiring the next three batters he faced. Mayberry dug out a hotshot on the third-base line and sent it across the diamond for the second out before Adams closed out the frame.

The Gators did not go down quickly, putting runners on first and second with two outs against Adams in the ninth. Closer Sam Mettert came on in relief, throwing three pitches and getting Luke Heyman to ground out to short for the final out to preserve the four-run triumph.

The Red Storm will return to Condron Family Ballpark to face No. 2 Florida again on Saturday. Due to inclement weather moving through the area tomorrow, first pitch has been changed to 10 a.m.