St. John’s Outlasted by No. 13 Wake Forest, 9-6, in Series Finale

Sunday, February 23

Winston-Salem, N.C. (David F. Couch Ballpark)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

0-6

No. 13 Wake Forest

7-1

St. John's

Wake Forest

Photo by: Helen McGinnis / Wake Forest Athletics

St. John’s Outlasted by No. 13 Wake Forest, 9-6, in Series Finale

2/23/2025 4:58:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Jared Beebe and Shaun McMillan each recorded a pair of RBIs

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The St. John's baseball team (0-6) was outlasted by No. 13 Wake Forest (7-1), 9-6, on Sunday afternoon at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Jared Beebe had a solid day at the plate, racking up two hits, including a double with a pair of RBIs and a run scored.

Shaun McMillan launched the first home run of his collegiate career, picking up two RBIs with the deep shot against the Demon Deacons.

Jayder Raifstanger increased his on-base streak to six games after reaching safely on a single in the first inning. The sophomore has reached base in every game so far this season for the Red Storm.

Anthony Brienza reached base safely three times on Sunday, while Jackson Tucker, Jon LeGrande and Adam Agresti, all made it to first twice a hit and a walk.

Jacob Ruiz and Sam Mettert were excellent in relief in North Carolina, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings. Mettert threw a pair of strikeouts and generated a double play in his two frames of work.

The Red Storm got on the board first in the top of the first inning. After Raifstanger and Beebe each singled, Agresti smacked a base hit into left field and moved to second on an error, plating both runners to take an opening 2-0 lead. LeGrande walked, putting two players back on base for the Johnnies, but Wake Forest starter Joe Ariola settled in and produced consecutive strikeouts, flipping the frame.

The Demon Deacons took the lead in the bottom of the first. Wake Forest earned a pair of walks and stolen bases before Jack Winnay hit a two-RBI double into left and Kade Lewis grounded out, plating another run to take a one-score edge, 3-2.

St. John's grabbed the lead right back in the away half of the second frame. Brienza worked a five-pitch walk right in front of a soft infield single from Tucker. Beebe whacked a two-out two-RBI double that one-hopped the left-center field wall, bringing Brienza and Tucker home to retake the lead, 4-3.

Wake Forest knotted the game back up in the bottom of the second, as Matt Scannell homered, evening things out early, 4-4.

The Red Storm attempted a two-out rally in the top of the third inning. Luke Orbon rang up a base hit into left field, proceeding Brienza reaching base safely on a hit-by-pitch. A wild pitch moved both runners over, but the Demon Deacon's Blake Morningstar remained composed, generating an inning-ending strikeout that stranded two Johnnies.

In the home side of the fourth inning, Wake Forest tacked on three runs from an RBI single and a two-run shot, retaking the advantage, 7-4.

Following scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh frames behind excellent relief pitching from Ruiz and Mettert, McMillan got every bit of a pitch, mashing a two-run homer into right field and cutting the Johnnies' deficit down to one, 7-6. Brienza proceeded to single before a Tucker walk, but the Demon Deacons stopped the bleeding with a flyout to flip the eighth inning over.

Wake Forest stretched its lead back to three, 9-6, with a Marek Houston two-run base hit in the home half of the eighth. The Demon Deacons closed the game out with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, winning Sunday's series finale.

The Red Storm will embark on a four-game road trip, starting with a three-game set against Louisville on Feb. 28 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville, Ky.