CWS: No. 3/4 Endicott Falls To Messiah, 9-5

ENDICOTT POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

EASTLAKE, Ohio — After yesterday's game one win, the No. 3/4 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team dropped its second College World Series (CWS) game to Messiah, 9-5, on Saturday evening at Classic Park.

WP (6-3): Christian Foltz (Harrisburg, Pa.) — 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 5 K
LP (2-1): Chris Jenkins (Mansfield, Mass.) — 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
SV (8): Noah Barrall (Delmar, Del.) — 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

After jumping out to a 4-1 lead, the Gulls surrendered eight unanswered runs to the Falcons and were ultimately unable to recover before the 27th out was recorded.

Cade Bernardo (Glenmont, N.Y.) put the Gulls up 2-0 off of a beautifully executed hit and run play with Kyle Grabowski (Westfield, Mass.), who came around to score from first on the play along with Danny MacDougall (Taunton, Mass.). 

After a scoreless second frame, John Connolly (Attleboro, Mass.) allowed one run back to the Falcons in the top of the third inning, but then escaped further damage by inducing a groundout to Bernardo at first base to end the threat with a 2-1 lead intact.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Gulls padded their lead with two more runs. John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.) singled home Grabowski, and AJ Hamm (Shrewsbury, Mass.) knocked in Bernardo with a sac fly to left.

Connolly danced out of another jam in the Falcons' half of the fourth, holding the score at 4-1 in the Gulls' favor.

However, in the fifth, it all fell apart. Messiah sent nine men to the plate and wound up scoring six runs (two unearned) in a nightmare inning for the Gulls.

Down two heading into the ninth, Brady Stuart (Hudson, Mass.) retired the first two men before the next four reached base and resulted in three insurance runs crossing the plate for the Falcons.

Trailing by five in their last ups, the Gulls refused to go quietly. TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine) led off a Gulls mini rally with a hard-earned walk, and later came around to score on Joey Frammartino's (North Reading, Mass.) RBI single through the right side of the infield, making it a bit closer at 9-5 with the heart of the order heading up to bat.

Unfortunately, the next two Gulls were set down, and the eighth-seeded Falcons held on for a 9-5 win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• First-ever meeting between the two programs.
• Messiah knocked off top-seeded Johns Hopkins yesterday. Hopkins was later eliminated in a loss to fifth-seeded Kean this afternoon.
• Frammartino extended his season-long on-base streak to 49.
• Jenkins has not allowed an earned run since April 19 against Hartford.
• The 7-9 contingent of the Gulls' order was held to a combined 1-for-8 in the loss.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 3/4 Endicott (44-5) faces No. 8/9 Kean in an elimination game tomorrow afternoon in a 4:45 PM matchup. 

Messiah (38-14) advances to the national semifinal game and awaits the winner of the Endicott and Kean matchup. 

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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)