St. John’s Walks-Off Central Connecticut State, 8-7

Wednesday, March 26

Queens, N.Y. (Kaiser Stadium)

3 p.m.

St. John's University

12-12

Central Connecticut State

11-4

Central Connecticut

St. John's

St. John’s Walks-Off Central Connecticut State, 8-7

3/26/2025 7:20:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Jared Beebe scored the game-winning run on a balk in the bottom of the ninth

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's baseball team (12-12) rallied back in the ninth inning to walk off Central Connecticut State (11-4), 8-7, on Wednesday afternoon at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, N.Y.

Jared Beebe scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning off a balk issued to the Blue Devil's catcher. The senior finished the day with a hit and a run scored.

Jayder Raifstanger and Adam Agresti both tallied two hits, including a home run, with a pair of RBIs in the contest. Agresti also scored two runs, smacked a double and worked a walk on Wednesday afternoon. Jon LeGrande logged a pair of hits, his first triple of the season, an RBI and a score at Jack Kaiser Stadium.

Chris Batuyios put together a gutsy outing in his first start of the year, allowing no runs and only two hits with a trio of strikeouts across four innings pitched. Sam Mettert earned the win, going for two innings of work, while sitting down Central Connecticut in order in the ninth.

Following a clean two innings from Batuyios, the Johnnies earned a pair of base runners in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Agresti walked and picked up his first stolen base of the year, ahead of Luke Orbon being issued a free pass. The Blue Devils got out of the frame with a flyout to center field, keeping the game knotted at 0-0.

Central Connecticut put itself on the board first in the top of the fifth frame. Cody Brouillet reached on a fielder's choice and was brought home on an ensuing Owen Arias RBI double, putting the Blue Devils ahead, 1-0.

The Blue Devils threatened in the away half of the sixth stanza, putting a pair of two-out runners on off of a single, a fielder's choice and a walk. Jacob Ruiz was able to neutralize the scoring threat with his second punchout of the inning.

In the opening half of the seventh frame, Central Connecticut posted a four spot. After the Blue Devils juiced the bases on a walk and a pair of singles, they took advantage of back-to-back base hits, combining for three runs. The final run of the side came across on a wild pitch, giving the away team a 5-0 lead.

The Red Storm earned three runs in the bottom of the seventh. Shaun McMillan kicked off the inning by working a six-pitch walk and stealing second base, ahead of Agresti smashing an RBI double into left field to score him. Orbon proceeded to walk before Jace Jeremiah and LeGrande sent singles into shallow left field, plating Agresti and Orbon. Raifstanger finished off the scoring for the Red Storm, sending Jeremiah home on a sacrifice fly to cut St. John's deficit to one, 5-4.

The Blue Devils tacked on another two tallies in the eighth inning, all coming off a two-out two-run one-bagger, which grew their advantage back to three, 7-4.

In the home half of the eighth, Agresti crushed a solo home run over the left field wall, bringing the opposition's lead down to two, 7-5.

LeGrande opened the bottom of the ninth by tripling into deep center field and was brought home on a groundout. Raifstanger then mashed a long ball to right field, tying the game in front of a Beebe single and stolen base. The Johnnies' first baseman moved over to third on a McMillan base knock and scored the game-winning run on a walk-off balk, as the Johnnies rallied back to claim the contest, 8-7.

The Red Storm will be back in action next Tuesday, April 1 to take on Washington at Jack Kaiser Stadium. First pitch from Queens, N.Y., is set for 12 p.m.