St. John’s baseball team defeated Hofstra 12-10 on Apr. 28, powered by four home runs at University Field. The win completed a season series sweep for the Red Storm.
The game was marked by strong offensive performances, with St. John’s recording double-digit hits for the fifth time in seven games and matching its season-high of four home runs in a single contest. The team also tallied 12 RBIs, just two short of their season-best set earlier against Seton Hall.
Jayder Raifstanger hit the team’s first grand slam of the year during the fourth inning, going 3-for-3 at bat with five RBIs and three runs scored. According to the press release, “It marked the first grand slam since teammate Sean Britt had one against Villanova on April 10, 2025.” Shaun McMillan, Adam Agresti—who notched his team-leading sixteenth homer—and Dylan Fitzsimmons each contributed home runs as well.
Freshman Declan Spooner achieved his first collegiate hit and finished with two hits overall. On the mound, Joe Mascio made his season debut and secured his first win after pitching a scoreless opening inning. Nick Gilpin followed with four innings allowing two runs and striking out two batters while Brady Clark pitched another scoreless frame.
Despite building an early lead—including a ten-run advantage by the sixth inning—St. John’s faced late pressure as Hofstra rallied for eight combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings to close within two runs. Evan Hoeckele pitched a perfect ninth inning to secure the save for St. John’s.
Looking ahead, St. John’s will host Creighton in what is described as their biggest series of the season starting Friday at Jack Kaiser Stadium.
