St. John’s Takes Down Villanova, 6-3, in Home Finale; Clinches BIG EAST Tournament Berth

Sunday, May 11

Queens, N.Y. (Kaiser Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

27-21, 11-7

Villanova

21-26, 5-13

Villanova

St. John's

St. John’s Takes Down Villanova, 6-3, in Home Finale; Clinches BIG EAST Tournament Berth

5/11/2025 5:08:00 PM | Baseball

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Jared Beebe tallied two hits and three RBIs on Sunday afternoon

QUEENS, N.Y. – The St. John's baseball team (27-21, 11-7 BIG EAST) took down Villanova (21-26, 5-13 BIG EAST), 6-3, in Sunday afternoon's home finale at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens, N.Y.

With today's win and Seton Hall's 6-0 loss to Georgetown, the Red Storm locked up its spot in the BIG EAST Tournament for the second consecutive season and for the second time under Head Coach Mike Hampton. The sixth-year skipper will make his 18th appearance in the league tournament since his arrival in Queens in 2001, assisting the Red Storm in 16 consecutive postseason berths (2004-19) under former head coach Ed Blankmeyer.

Jared Beebe put together a great outing in his final home game at St. John's, registering two hits, including a two-run homer, with three RBIs, a score and a hit-by-pitch. Jackson Tucker also totaled two hits, with an RBI, a tally and a pair of stolen bases. With his two swipes, Tucker has become the first player in Red Storm history to steal 100 bases in a career.

Anthony Brienza picked up right where he left off from yesterday's doubleheader, recording two hits, a score and a walk. Jayder Raifstanger scored twice on a hit and two free passes, while Will Cowan posted a run on a hit and a walk.

Chris Batuyios enjoyed a great outing, picking up his second win of the year after tossing five innings of one-hit ball, only surrendering a run with three punchouts. Louis Marinaro and Jed Boyle closed out the game, allowing two runs with a combined seven strikeouts.

Following a 1-2-3 top of the first inning for Batuyios, the Red Storm jumped in front in the bottom of the frame. Tucker and Raifstanger worked consecutive walks, giving Jared Beebe a pair of base runners. The Johnnies' first baseman proceeded to slug a three-run homer into the visiting right-field bullpen, giving St. John's an early 3-0 edge.

The Red Storm extended its lead in the home half of the second inning. With one out, Brienza blooped a base hit into center field and advanced to third on a Jon LeGrande single. Tucker then whacked an RBI single through the left side, scoring Brienza for a 4-0 home advantage.

The Wildcats posted their first run of the day in the top of the third stanza. A pair of runners reached on a single and a hit-by-pitch and were moved over on a sacrifice bunt. A sacrifice fly scored one, cutting Villanova's deficit down to three, 4-1.

In the bottom side of the third inning, the Johnnies tacked on another run. Cowan and Adam Agresti opened the frame by going back-to-back with a single and a double. A Luke Orbon sacrifice fly plated Cowan and grew St. John's lead to four, 5-1.

Pitching dominated through the seventh inning, as neither team posted any runs. Marinaro and Boyle shut down the Wildcats with six straight strikeouts between the seventh and eighth frames.

In the bottom of the eighth stanza, the Johnnies added a tally to their count. Raifstanger started the rally by lining a single through the right side before he moved over to third base on a Wildcat error. A wild pitch brought Raifstanger home, pushing the Red Storm's lead to 6-1.

Villanova tacked on two runs in the top of the ninth, both of which came off a two-run double. Boyle settled back in, producing three consecutive outs to guarantee a 6-3 St. John's win.

The Red Storm will finish off its regular season next weekend when it meets Butler for a three-game series. The set will kick off on Thursday, May 15 at 3 p.m. in Indianapolis, Ind.