St. John’s Defeats Wagner, 8-2, for 12th Straight Win

Wednesday, March 20

Queens, N.Y. (Kaiser Stadium)

3 p.m.

St. John's University

15-4

Wagner

8-13

Wagner

St. John's

St. John’s Defeats Wagner, 8-2, for 12th Straight Win

3/20/2024 7:02:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Red Storm matches longest winning streak since 2018

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's baseball team (15-4) battled the cold and rain to secure its 12^th straight victory, cruising to an 8-2 victory at Jack Kaiser Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The Johnnies are off to their best start since going 17-2 to open the 2017 slate. The Red Storm also matched its longest winning streak since the 2018 campaign when the team also secured 12 consecutive wins from April 6-22, 2018. With an 11-0 mark at home, St. John's is also rocking its best start at The Jack since 2011 when the squad went 12-0 to open the year.

Freshman Cristian Bernardini provided the winning stroke for the Red Storm with a three-run shot in the fifth. Shortstop Luke Orbon extended his hitting streak to seven games after going 3-for-4 with a pair of tallies. Garrett Scavelli tied Orbon with three hits to go with two RBIs on the afternoon.

Starter TJ Winn Jr. picked up his first collegiate win on Wednesday, tossing five innings and allowing just one unearned run on three hits with a trio of strikeouts. The Manchester, Conn., native made quick work of the Seahawks in the opening frame, forcing three groundouts to the right side on five pitches.

Both teams were held off the board until Wagner scored a run on a 5-4-3 double play in the third inning to take a 1-0 lead.

The Johnnies took no time to retaliate with a five-run bottom of the third. After Anthony Brienza was hit by a pitch and Jackson Tucker drew a walk, Bernardini smacked a 1-0 pitch over the left-center wall for a three-run homer. The Red Storm added two more tallies, 5-1, before the end of the frame on a Scavelli sacrifice fly and an RBI double by Cohall.

Winn continued to stifle the Seahawks' lineup, allowing just one hit in the fourth before striking out the side in the fifth for his final inning of work.

AJ Lausten came on in the sixth to relieve Winn, facing the minimum in his lone inning of work. The righty struck out Zack Kent on four pitches before popping up the next two batters to keep the Johnnies ahead by four.

Wagner broke through for the final time in the seventh. Pinch hitter Matthew Kenney singled to left-center and brought Xavier Ulrich around to score, slashing the Red Storm lead to three.

The Johnnies capitalized on a dropped fly ball to left in the eighth, knocking three runs across in the frame. After Paul Orbon reached on a fielder's choice and brought in Tucker, freshman Jayder Raifstanger smacked an RBI single to short and give the Red Storm a five-run edge. Scavelli singled to center three pitches later, plating the final run of the game and giving St. John's an 8-2 lead.

Jed Boyle hit the rubber for the ninth inning with the rain remaining steady for the final moments of the contest. The Syracuse, N.Y., native retired the side in order, getting Bryce Phelps and David Melfi to look at strike three to end the game.

St. John's will take on Fordham over the weekend in a home-and-home series beginning on Friday at Jack Kaiser Stadium at 3 p.m. Due to expected rain, the weekend series has been adjusted. Saturday's game at Fordham will be played in the Bronx on Sunday at 1 p.m. The series finale has been moved to Monday afternoon at The Jack with first pitch slated for 3 p.m.