Endicott Athletics and Recreation

    • CNE CHAMPS! Resilient Gulls Sweep Roger Williams To Capture Conference Title

    CNE CHAMPS! Resilient Gulls Sweep Roger Williams To Capture Conference Title
    May 10, 2026
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    BEVERLY, Mass. – Needing two wins entering the day, the first-seeded Endicott College softball team never wavered, defeating second-seeded Roger Williams, 1-0 and 7-5, to hoist the Conference of New England (CNE) Championship trophy on Sunday evening at the Softball Complex.

    Kylyn McLaren (Rochester, N.H.) was named the CNE Tournament Most Outstanding Player, as the junior center fielder compiled a .467/.529/1.000 slash line in five postseason games played alongside six runs scored, seven hits (two doubles, two homers), and nine RBI.

    In the championship round, McLaren went 2-for-5 with three runs scored, one homer, three RBI, and a walk (.400/.571/1.000).

    GAME ONE: Endicott 1, Roger Williams 0

    WP (9-5): Analise Grady (Reading, Mass.) – 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
    LP (12-5): Raegen Germano (Old Tappan, N.J.) – 7 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

    A pitcher's duel through the first five innings, Gulls' right fielder Ella Tower (Windham, N.H.) finally broke open the stalemate in the sixth with a single to left field, scoring McLaren from second base.

    McLaren and Maddie Beeley (Salem, N.H.) helped generate the game-winning run with two outs in the frame via a hit-by-pitch and a four-pitch walk.

    Grady was nearly perfect over the next two innings, despite having to worki around a two-out error in the sixth and a leadoff error in the seventh, which resulted in stranding the game-tying run at second base with one out (P4, 4-3) to force the if-necessary game.

    GAME TWO: Endicott 7, Roger Williams 5

    WP (10-5): Analise Grady (Reading, Mass.) – 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
    LP (11-5): Keira Quadros (East Providence, R.I.) – 2.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

    Endicott raced out to a 2-0 lead in the second behind a solo homer from Elyse Saccoccio (Coventry, R.I.) and an RBI single up the middle by Caroline Cummings (Trumbull, Conn.).  

    Tower tacked on an all-important third run in the next inning, lacing a run-producing double to the left-center gap for a 3-0 cushion.

    Roger Williams responded with a three-run homer in the fourth, and later took advantage of back-to-back run-scoring wild pitches to go up 5-3 on the scoreboard.

    As the lede of the story suggested, the Gulls punched back in the bottom half with McLaren providing the heroics via a three-run blast off the top of the left field scoreboard – sending the hometown crowd into a frenzy.

    Endicott cashed in another run an inning later on a passed ball with runners at the corners, providing enough distance the rest of the way for Grady, yet again.

    The senior lefty induced two pop outs and a groundout in the sixth, and two more pop outs sandwiched around a strikeout looking in the seventh to secure the 18th conference title in the program's storied history.

    BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

    • The Gulls are 55-17 all-time against Roger Williams.
    • Endicott captured its first conference championship since 2023 (title history: 1995, 1998-99, 2003-11, 2014, 2019-23, 2026).
    • In five postseason appearances, Grady logged a 3-1 record, one save, 17.1 innings pitched, a 1.62 earned run average, and eight strikeouts.
    • Tower posted a .357/.400/.429 slash line alongside five hits, one double, and five RBI in the playoffs.

    WHAT'S NEXT

    Endicott (26-13) has earned the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The field will be announced on Monday, May 11 at 11 AM (EST) on NCAA.com.

    Roger Williams sees its 2026 season come to a close at 26-15 overall. 

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

    (Photo Credit - Brendan Carpenter '20 M'21)