St. John’s lost to Xavier, 16-6, in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Hayden Field.
The result marks the end of a three-game set in which St. John’s had already secured two wins, continuing their streak of four straight series victories to open conference play.
Cristian Bernardini led St. John’s offensively with his second three-run home run in as many games. Shaun McMillan contributed by going 2-for-3 with a single, a solo homer and three runs scored. Ayden Frey added an RBI single and a walk while Will Cowan also drove in a run with an RBI single.
St. John’s took an early lead after Jayder Raifstanger and McMillan reached base and were driven home by Cowan and Frey for a quick 2-0 advantage. However, Xavier responded strongly in the bottom of the second inning with six runs to take control of the game.
Xavier extended its lead by scoring nine more runs across the third and fifth innings for a commanding margin of 15-2. The Red Storm narrowed the gap slightly in the sixth when Bernardini hit his three-run homer following singles from McMillan and Frey’s walk but could not overcome Xavier’s offense.
The Musketeers added another run before McMillan hit his solo shot for St. John’s final tally, resulting in the 16-6 scoreline after seven innings due to run-rule regulations.
Looking ahead, St. John’s will conclude its eight-game road trip on Tuesday against Hofstra at University Field.
