TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Trailing 5-2 after seven innings in the opening game of the Tallahassee Regional, the St. John's baseball team scored three times in the top of the eighth before plating the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth, stunning No. 10 Florida State, 6-5, and advancing into the winners' bracket.

Prior to this evening's contest, Florida State was 35-0 this season when leading after seven innings.

The win was the first for St. John's in a regional opener since 2012, when the Johnnies took three games in as many opportunities to claim the Chapel Hill Regional title. The victory was also the first for St. John's against an NCAA Regional host since defeating No. 11 Oklahoma State in an elimination game in 2015.

The Johnnies (34-24) are now the fifth team to defeat FSU (38-18) at home this season, joining then-No. 10 NC State, Duke, Florida and Miami. 

Jayder Raifstanger delivered the game-winning single in the top of the ninth, scoring Dylan Fitzsimmons from second to put the Red Storm on top for good.

Fitzsimmons, who entered the game in the bottom of the second inning following an injury to Lewis Rodriguez, made the most of his NCAA Tournament debut. The freshman fell a triple shy of the cycle, going 3-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base. Raifstanger and Jon LeGrande each had a 2-for-4 day with a walk and a run scored. LeGrande swiped his team-leading 25th bag of the season. Adam Agresti crushed his 18th homer of the season before being intentionally walked twice, his 13th and 14th free passes of the campaign.

On the mound, starter Liam O'Leary went 5.1 innings, allowing five earned runs and seven hits. The righty punched out six Seminoles, extending his streak to six straight games with four or more strikeouts. He now sits fourth on the Red Storm's single-season record list with 105.1 innings pitched on the season, moving within 3.1 innings of the mark set by Sean Hagan in 2012.  

The relief duo of Victor Frederick and Evan Hoeckele proved to be sensational, holding the Seminoles scoreless over the final 3.1 frames to help secure the win. Frederick punched out three Florida State batters in 2.0 innings of two-hit work before Hoeckele recorded the final five outs to improve to 3-0 on the season. The sophomore needed just 13 pitches to log those pivotal five outs, throwing 11 of those pitches for strikes.



Florida State wasted no time getting on the board, as John Stuetzer sent the Red Storm's first pitch of the game over the left field wall. Following back-to-back walks, O'Leary settled in and retired three straight Seminoles to keep the deficit at one.

The Johnnies responded in the top of the second, as Agresti blasted a ball over the wall in straightaway center to knot the contest at 1-1. The 415-foot shot was his 18th round-tripper of the season, a total that ranks second on the Red Storm's single-season record list behind Jeremy Baltz's 24 homers in 2010.

The Seminoles quickly answered in the home half with their second solo shot of the contest to regain the lead, 2-1.

After a scoreless third inning, Florida State plated a run with two outs and extend its advantage to 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth.

St. John's cut into the lead in the top of the fifth, as Will Cowan led off with a double to left before Cristian Bernardini brought him home with a single off the right-field wall, making it 3-2 in favor of Florida State.

The Seminoles tacked on two in the bottom of the sixth, extending their lead to three, 5-2, heading into the seventh.

Facing that same three-run deficit in the top of the eighth, Fitzsimmons led off the frame with a solo shot, quickly trimming the Florida State advantage to two, 5-3. After a LeGrande walk and a Raifstanger single put runners on the corners with no outs, LeGrande dashed home on a wild pitch to make it 5-4. Another wild pitch allowed Raifstanger to take third before he came home on a passed ball, knotting the score at five and erasing the Florida State lead for the first time since the second inning. The Johnnies continued to threaten, loading the bases with one out, but John Abraham worked his way out of the jam and kept the score level at 5-5.

After Frederick and Hoeckele worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth, the Johnnies struck again in the ninth. Fitzsimmons started the inning with a single to left field, his third hit of the day, and stole second to put the game-winning run into scoring position. With one out, Raifstanger knocked a 2-2 pitch into center. Fitzsimmons flew around third, losing his helmet before narrowly beating the throw and putting the Johnnies ahead 6-5.

In the bottom of the ninth, Florida State put runners on first and second with one out, but Hoeckele induced a double play to end the game and give St. John's its sixth straight win.

St. John's will play the winner of the Coastal Carolina and Northern Illinois game tomorrow. First pitch will be announced later tonight.

2026 NCAA TALLAHASSEE REGIONAL SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
Friday, May 29
Game 1: #4 St. John's 6, #1 Florida State 5
Game 2: #2 Coastal Carolina vs. #3 Northern Illinois – 9:32 p.m.
Saturday, May 30
Game 3: Florida State vs. Coastal Carolina- 1 p.m.
Game 4: St. John's vs. Northern Illinois - 6 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 31
Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 - 1 p.m.
Game 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 - 6 p.m.
 
Monday, June 1
Game 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (TBA - IF NECESSARY)