Endicott Athletics and Recreation

    • NCAA REGIONALS: Top-Seeded Gulls Breeze Past Fourth-Seeded Husson, 17-0

    NCAA REGIONALS: Top-Seeded Gulls Breeze Past Fourth-Seeded Husson, 17-0
    May 15, 2026
    Postgame Press Highlights Box Score

    POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE

    LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — Behind another stellar start from Brady Stuart (Hudson, Mass.) and an offensive masterclass up-and-down the order, the No. 9/11 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team handily defeated Husson, 17-0, to kick off Friday's Montclair Regional opener from Yogi Berra Stadium.

    WP (8-0): Brady Stuart (Hudson, Mass.) — 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 12 K
    LP (2-5): Avery Lawrence (Portland, Maine) — 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

    Stuart picked up right where he left off in last week's Conference of New England (CNE) Tournament against Nichols. The Gulls' ace baffled the Eagles lineup, and struck out six men his first time through the order.

    After James Benestad (Portsmouth, R.I.) punched a go-ahead RBI single to left field in the bottom of the second, the Gulls added three runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead early in the contest.

    An RBI base-knock from Cade Bernardo (Glenmont, N.Y.) and back-to-back bases loaded beanballs of AJ Hamm (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Benestad put the Gulls up by four runs through three frames.

    As Stuart continued to roll through the Eagles' order, the Gulls offense protected their ace with plenty of insurance.

    A three-run bottom of the fifth, seven-run bottom of the sixth, and three-run bottom of the eighth broke the game wide open.

    Benestad and TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine) drove in runs on RBI singles in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-0 before the Gulls batted around in the sixth to really pour it on. 

    In that big inning, Bernardo and Brenden Walsh (Reading, Mass.) reached on back-to-back hits prior to John Fusco's (Naples, Fla.) three-run mammoth blast over the right-center field wall.

    Then, a two-run two-bagger from Liponis and an RBI groundout from Bernardo tacked on a few more sixth inning runs to cement the blowout.

    Another three-spot in the eighth (sac flies from Cam Cabral (New Bedford, Mass.) and Gavin Gold (Beverly, Mass.); another Liponis RBI double) extended Endicott's lead to 17-0.

    Derek Roberts (Wayland, Mass.) and Ryan Walton (Boylston, Mass.) followed Stuart with scoreless eighth and ninth innings out of relief, respectively, to close out the 17-0 Regional round win.

    BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

    • Endicott holds a 9-2 record all-time against Husson.
    • The Gulls and Eagles faced off in the 2024 NCAA Eastern Connecticut State Regional round. In that Regional, the Gulls defeated the Eagles twice, and the second win clinched their Regional Championship title.
    • Stuart tied his career high in strikeouts (12) for a second straight start. At one point between the second and seventh innings, Stuart retired 15 of 16 Husson batters, which included a stretch of 11 straight.
    • Liponis finished his day 5-for-6 at the plate with three singles, two doubles, and five RBI. His five hits tied the program's single-game record, and established a new program NCAA Playoff record.
    • Most runs scored in an Endicott NCAA Playoff game since 5/18/24 against SUNY New-Paltz (NCAA Regionals, 19-12 win at Elliot Ballpark).

    WHAT'S NEXT

    No. 9/11 Endicott (36-9) advances to the winner's bracket, and faces the winner of No. 12/13 Montclair State / Whitworth at 2 PM tomorrow. 

    Husson (24-17) awaits the loser of that matchup for an elimination game tomorrow at 11 AM. 

    For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

    (Photo Credit - Dom O'Connor '27)