Matt Wessinger was just trying to make good contact, and with some help from a stiff breeze, he had a huge offensive day for St. John’s yesterday.

Wessinger homered twice and drove in four runs, and the Red Storm weathered a three-run ninth for Virginia Commonwealth to win 8-6 in an NCAA tournament elimination game in Charlottesville, Va.

The Red Storm (35-25-1) hit three consecutive home runs in the bottom of the first against Rams starter Blake Hauser, who lasted two innings and allowed four home runs and five runs.

The game featured five home runs, all hit in the first two innings.

“After that first inning, the way the ball was carrying, I thought it was going to be a 17-16 game,” St. John’s coach Ed Blankmeyer said.

The Rams (40-20) got a two-run home run from Brent Mikionis in the first and a run in the second, but didn’t score again until the ninth inning.

“They put some balls in the air. We didn’t. That’s pretty much how it went,” Mikionis said.

Stony Brook 6, NC State 2

In Myrtle Beach, S.C., Tyler Johnson pitched eight innings of six-hit ball and Stony Brook used a big first inning to gain its first-ever NCAA tournament win, eliminating North Carolina State.

The Seawolves (30-26) will play Coastal Carolina or College of Charleston in an elimination game today.

HIT STREAK TO 56

In Coral Gables, Fla., Garrett Wittels extended his hitting streak to 56 games, but Florida International was eliminated by Dartmouth with a 15-9 loss.

Wittels hit an RBI double in the top of the first inning, leaving him two games shy of the Division I record set by Oklahoma State’s Robin Ventura in 1987. Wittels’ attempt to break the mark will resume next season.