Bryson Moore delivered five quality innings in the regional opener. Unfortunately for Florida State the rest of the afternoon was a frustration against the regional’s No. 4 team.
Jayder Raifstanger’s RBI single in the top of the ninth gave St. John’s a 6-5 win over FSU in a regional-opening stunner on Friday night. Dylan Fitzsimmons led off the inning with a single and, after a strikeout, he stole second base. Fitzsimmons scored from second base as Brayden Dowd’s throw from center field was just a little late.
FSU had two runners on with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Eli Putnam grounded into a 5-3 double play to end it as the St. John’s dugout emptied and FSU’s players looked on in dismay.
“This can still be achieved. It is very difficult from here,” FSU coach Link Jarrett said. “We all know that. But it can happen. We have the pitching depth to mount and get through this thing. Clearly not easy. This is not the conversation any coach wants to have on the opening day of this. But that’s the reality of where we are.”
The Red Storm (34-24) produced four runs in the final two frames against FSU’s top two bullpen arms to produce one of the biggest upsets on the first day of the Tallahassee Regional.
St. John’s scored three runs in a wild eighth inning against FSU’s top relievers, Chris Knier and John Abraham. Dylan Fitzsimmons hit a home run, Jon LeGrande scored on a wild pitch and Raifstanger scored on a passed ball.
FSU will play the Coastal Carolina-Northern Illinois loser on Saturday at 1 p.m. St. John’s and the Coastal Carolina-NIU winner will face off on Saturday at 6 p.m. TV information will be set later. FSU will turn to ace left-hander Wes Mendes to preserve the season on Saturday.
The Seminoles produced some big hits but also stranded nine runners and struck out nine times.
John Stuetzer hit a first-pitch home run to lead off first inning, Gabe Fraser hit his first home run of the season and Brayden Dowd had a pair of RBI.
Stuetzer’s home run traveled 424 feet and hit off the right side of the scoreboard in left-center field. He also threw out a runner at third base. Fraser was hitting .302 coming into Friday with five doubles and two triples, but he enjoyed his first home run in more than 100 at-bats in 2026.
Dowd had an RBI single in the fourth and added an RBI double in the sixth, a ball that nearly cleared the fence but was knocked down as Cristian Bernardini went vertical at the wall.
Cal Fisher and Carter McCulley each went 2 for 4 with a run scored for FSU (38-18).
Coach Link Jarrett and pitching coach Micah Posey made a calculated gamble by starting Moore, FSU’s No. 3 pitcher, in the regional opener. Moore gave up six hits and a walk with six strikeouts in five innings, keeping St. John’s to just two runs (one of them Adam Agresti’s solo home run in the first inning).
But Knier gave up three runs (two earned) in two innings, and Abraham allowed a run in 1.2 innings. Abraham contributed to his one demise with two walks and two wild pitches.
St. John’s had opportunities but had runners caught often on the base paths, including at second base to end the second inning and another at second base to end the third inning.
The game started about two hours late, at 5:07 p.m., after a rain delay at Howser. And it ended well after 8:35 p.m., with still a second game in Tallahassee to play.
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