BRIDGEWATER, Mass. — The No. 4/8 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team defeated Johnson & Wales, 10-4, in the NCAA Tournament — Bridgewater Regional Championship Round on Monday afternoon at Alumni Park.
With the win, the Gulls have forced the winner-take-all Bridgewater Regional Championship Game which will take place at 3:50 PM.
WP (5-1): Brady Stuart (Hudson, Mass.) — 5 1/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
LP (6-3): Kyle Cutler (East Hampton, Conn.) — 4 1/3 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
SV (1): Will Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) — 3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
The Gulls raced out to a 6-0 advantage and never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.
In the fourth inning, Jake Nardone (Wakefield, Mass.) got the offense going with a two-run single to right center.
John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.) tacked on to the rally with a sac fly to center, while Nardone eventually scored on a wild pitch later in the frame to cap the four-run crooked inning.
Endicott added solo tallies via Dylan Pacheco (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Robbie Wladkowski (Norwood, Mass.) in the fifth (RBI single) and sixth (fielder's choice RBI) innings, respectively, to put enough distance on the scoreboard.
After the Wildcats countered with two runs in the sixth, Caleb Shpur (East Canaan, Conn.) and Wladkowski got those runs right back and then some as the duo notched a two-run double and a two-run single to make it 10-2.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Endicott improved to 11-2 all-time against Johnson & Wales.
- This was the first meeting between the two programs since 1999.
- The Gulls increased their program record wins total this season to 42.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 4/8 Endicott (42-7) will play Johnson & Wales (30-14) in the winner-take-all Bridgewater Regional Championship Game at 3:50 PM.
The winner of the game will claim the Bridgewater Regional Championship and advance to Super Regionals. The loser will see its 2023 season come to a close.
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(Photo Credit - Leanna Puccio '24)
