Huge first lifts St. John’s past Ole Miss 20-16

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — St. John’s scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on to beat Mississippi 20-16 Sunday in a wild Charlottesville Regional elimination game.

The Red Storm (42-19) earned the chance to play host Virginia later in the day.

St. John’s sent 14 men to the plate in the first, when every batter in the lineup reached at least once, and added a pair of five-run innings as they finished with 22 hits.

Ole Miss lost despite 18 hits and 16 runs, and scored 10 runs in the last three frames. Matt Snyder homered twice, including a grand slam with two out in the ninth, for the Rebels.

Bruce Kern (7-5) worked six innings, allowing 13 hits and seven runs, for the victory.

Starter David Goforth (1-6) allowed seven runs in 2-3 of an inning for Mississippi (39-24), which was hoping to avenge a home loss to Virginia in the super regional last year.