Denison, Rowan Stay Alive as Two Teams Exit NCAA Division III College World Series

EASTLAKE, OH – The 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series continued on Saturday, May 30. Games 5-8 concluded with two teams being eliminated from the national stage.
 
The day opened with game 5, as top-seeded Denison (46-2) eliminated fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins (38-12) from the tournament with an 8-0 win and eighth-seeded East Texas Baptist (40-11) upset fifth-seeded Baldwin Wallace (37-11), 7-6, in game 6. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Rowan (38-6) defeated third-seeded Salisbury (37-11), 8-3, in the game 7 elimination game. To end the night, sixth-seeded Endicott (42-11) collected a 12-2 win over seventh-seeded Adrian (38-13) in game 8.
 
On Sunday, the Big Red and Yellow Jackets are set for an elimination game at 11:00 a.m. (game 9), while the Bulldogs and Profs will compete in Game 10, an elimination game, at 3:00 p.m.
 
With the wins today, the Tigers advance to game 11, while the Gulls advance to game 12, both of which will be played on Monday, June 1. East Texas Baptist will take on the winner of game 9 at 10:00 a.m., while Endicott will faceoff with the winner of Game 10 at 1:15 p.m.
 
GAME 5: No. 1 Denison 8, No. 4 Johns Hopkins 0
Denison blanked Johns Hopkins 8-0 on Saturday afternoon behind a dominant pitching performance from Cooper Marrs and a 13-hit attack. The Big Red set the tone in the bottom of the first inning, with Erik Sundgren's RBI single bringing home Eron Vega before Jack Rollo's sacrifice fly scored Sundgren for an early 2-0 lead. Denison added two more in the fifth on Max Fishbein's RBI sacrifice bunt and a Kelly Crittenberger fielder's choice that pushed the margin to 4-0. Marrs cruised through seven innings on the mound, allowing just two hits while striking out nine and walking two.
 
The game broke open in the seventh as Denison plated four more runs. Rollo's RBI fielder's choice scored Jack Lutte to extend the lead to 5-0 before Andrew Fazio reached on an error to bring home another run. Nate Lloyd then capped the rally with a two-run single to left center to make it 8-0. Fishbein finished 3-for-3 with an RBI, Lutte added three hits and scored twice, and Vega contributed two hits and two runs scored. Ryan Paganelis closed out the final two innings to preserve the shutout, allowing one hit while completing Denison's combined three-hit, nine-strikeout effort. Johns Hopkins managed just three hits in the loss, with Luke Baker's ninth-inning double providing the lone extra-base hit, while Michael Yousef took the loss after surrendering 10 hits and three earned runs over 4.1 innings.
 
GAME 6: No. 8 East Texas Baptist 7, No. 5 Baldwin Wallace 6
East Texas Baptist rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat Baldwin Wallace 7-6 on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers scratched out an unearned run in the top of the first when Carson Livesay scored on Carter Nannini's RBI groundout, but Baldwin Wallace answered in the second when Carson Petrecca came around on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1. The Yellow Jackets then took control with two runs in the third on Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider's RBI single and Mario Escano's bases-loaded walk, followed by Sean Kolenich's two-run home run in the fourth that extended the lead to 5-1.
 
East Texas Baptist battled back with a three-run fifth inning featuring Juan Ortigoza's RBI single and Nannini's two-run single to cut the deficit to 5-4, before Justin Flannery's two-run double in the eighth put the Tigers ahead 6-5. East Texas Baptist added an insurance run in the ninth on Joaquin Costa's RBI, and Baldwin Wallace's late rally fell short despite Matt DelDuca's RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. Nannini led the Tigers with three RBI, Livesay reached base three times and scored three runs, and Matthew Irwin earned the win in relief, working 2.2 innings with five strikeouts. Baldwin Wallace produced nine hits in the loss, paced by Matt Terzola's three-hit night and Kolenich's two-run home run, while Matt Moscarino took the loss after surrendering six runs (three earned) over eight innings with eight strikeouts.
 
GAME 7: No. 2 Rowan 8, No. 3 Salisbury 3
Rowan advanced with an 8-3 victory over Salisbury on Saturday evening, using a combination of timely hitting and capitalizing on defensive miscues to pull away. The Profs struck first with two runs in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly by Brett Chiesa and an RBI single from Nick Struble before Salisbury answered with a bases-loaded walk by Jay Newton in the third. Rowan immediately responded when Brayden Davis launched a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning, then broke the game open with a five-run fifth inning. Struble delivered an RBI single, a wild pitch brought home another run, and Mason Dorsey capped the rally with a two-run double as the Profs built a commanding 8-1 advantage.
 
Rowan starter Austin Kreyenhagen set the tone on the mound, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight over six innings to earn the win. Davis finished with three runs scored and a home run, Struble went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Dorsey added two hits and two RBI in the victory. Salisbury mounted a late rally in the ninth on an RBI triple by Jackson Inman and an RBI double from Newton, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. The Sea Gulls collected eight hits and drew seven walks, led by two-hit performances from Nathan Tondreault and Griffin Shirk, yet Rowan’s 11-hit attack and decisive fifth inning were the difference as the Profs moved on with the win.
 
GAME 8: No. 6 Endicott 12, No. 7 Adrian 2
Endicott used a relentless offensive attack to pull away for a 12-2 victory over Adrian on Saturday night. Adrian struck first in the second inning when Jake Burns launched a two-run home run to left field, but the Gulls answered with four runs in the third, highlighted by Brenden Walsh’s two-run triple, to take control. Endicott continued to build its lead with a three-run fourth inning, sparked by TJ Liponis’ two-run homer, before adding four more runs in the fifth and a solo shot from Adam Regan in the sixth. Liponis drove in three runs, Walsh finished with three RBI, and Regan scored four times as Endicott piled up 13 hits.
 
After surrendering Adrian’s early homer, Endicott’s pitching staff took over. Jeremy Krendel earned the win in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out three. The Gulls limited Adrian to two runs despite 10 hits, stranding runners throughout the night and turning two double plays. Adrian was led offensively by Burns’ two-run homer and two-hit efforts from Christian Oliver and Casey Finn, but the Bulldogs were unable to keep pace after Endicott’s explosive middle innings. The victory moved Endicott forward in the tournament, while Adrian saw its season come to an end.
 
Friday, May 29

Four Upsets Open Day One of NCAA Baseball Championship

EASTLAKE, OH -- Games 1-4 of the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series were completed on Friday, May 29.
 
The world series opened with fifth-seeded Baldwin Wallace (37-10) claiming an 11-4 victory over fourth-seeded Johns Hopkins (38-11), while eighth-seeded East Texas Baptist (39-11) defeated top-seeded Denison (45-2), 5-1, in game 2 and seventh-seeded Adrian (38-12) beat second-seeded Rowan (37-6) 10-1 in game 3. In the night cap, game 4, sixth-seeded Endicott (41-11) collected a 5-1 win over third-seeded Salisbury (37-10).
 
The Blue Jays and Big Red will meet up in an elimination game (game 5) which will be played Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m., while the Yellow Jackets and Tigers will compete in game 6 which is set for a 1:30 p.m. start. On the other side of the bracket, elimination game 7 is set for 5:00 p.m. with the Profs facing off with the Sea Gulls, while game 8 is set for an 8:00 p.m. start with the Bulldogs taking on the Gulls.
 
GAME 1: No. 5 Baldwin Wallace 11, No. 4 Johns Hopkins 4
Baldwin Wallace rallied from an early 2-0 deficit to defeat Johns Hopkins 11-4 on Friday morning. The Blue Jays grabbed the lead on solo home runs from William Jaun and Jacob Harris, but the Yellow Jackets answered with Matt DelDuca’s two-run homer in the fourth and took the lead for good on Sean Kolenich’s sacrifice fly in the fifth. Baldwin Wallace starter Brit Kostura settled in after the early damage, allowing just two runs over seven innings to earn the victory.
 
The game broke open in the seventh when Mario Escano led off with a home run before Kolenich delivered a grand slam as part of a five-run inning that stretched the lead to 8-2. Baldwin Wallace added three more runs over the final two innings, including DelDuca’s second home run of the day. DelDuca finished with two homers and four RBI, while Kolenich drove in five runs. Johns Hopkins collected 10 hits in the loss, led by Jaun’s home run, double, and three RBI, but Baldwin Wallace’s four-homer attack and dominant middle innings proved the difference.
 
GAME 2: No. 8 East Texas Baptist 5, No. 1 Denison 1
East Texas Baptist upset top-ranked Denison 5-1 on Friday afternoon using timely hitting and outstanding pitching to hand the Big Red just their second loss of the season. The Tigers broke a scoreless tie in the third inning on Jobee Boone’s sacrifice fly and added a key insurance run in the eighth when Juan Ortigoza doubled home Justin Flannery. Denison finally broke through in the bottom of the eighth as Max Fishbein singled home Jack Lutte, cutting the deficit to 2-1, but the ETBU responded with three runs in the ninth to put the game away. Flannery finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Kahne Nolen and Ortigoza each delivered RBI doubles as part of the Tigers’ 11-hit attack.
 
East Texas Baptist’s pitching staff proved to be the difference, as Isaac Thornton and Conner Smeltzer combined to limit Denison to just four hits while stranding nine runners. Thornton earned the win after allowing one run over 7.2 innings with seven strikeouts, and Smeltzer closed out the final four outs for the save. Denison starter Will Rettig kept the Big Red within striking distance, surrendering only one run over six innings despite working around five walks. Eron Vega led Denison offensively with two hits, including a triple, while Fishbein drove in the lone run, but the Big Red were unable to capitalize on several scoring opportunities as East Texas Baptist advanced into the winners bracket with the victory.
 
GAME 3: No. 7 Adrian 10, No. 2 Rowan 1
Adrian erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning to break open a tight pitcher's duel and went on to defeat Rowan 10-1. The Profs struck first in the third on Brayden Davis's sacrifice fly that brought home Mason Dorsey, but the Bulldogs' bats came alive in the sixth against Rowan starter Zach Coluccio. Gabe Jones launched a grand slam to center field to give Adrian a 4-1 lead, and Jake Burns, Jack Boike, and Nic Bruder followed with RBI hits to cap the eight-run frame. Adrian added single runs in the seventh and ninth on RBI singles from Burns and pinch hitter Aiden Melvin. Jones finished with four RBI on his grand slam, Boike added two doubles and two RBI, and Bruder reached base four times while stealing two bases as part of Adrian's 10-hit attack.
 
Adrian's pitching proved to be the difference, as Landon Kozlowski and Sean Parker combined to limit Rowan to one run on nine hits while striking out eight. Kozlowski earned the win after allowing one run over six innings with five strikeouts, and Parker closed out the final three innings without allowing a hit to lock down his fourth save. Coluccio took the loss for Rowan, surrendering eight runs (five earned) over 5.2 innings, while Dane Samartino followed with two scoreless innings of relief. Mason Dorsey led the Profs offensively with three hits, and Damon Suriani added two hits including a double, but Rowan was unable to recover from Adrian's sixth-inning outburst as the Bulldogs advanced into the winners bracket with the nine-run win.
 
GAME 4: No. 6 Endicott 5, No. 3 Salisbury 1
Endicott defeated Salisbury 5-1 behind a dominant 15-strikeout pitching performance. The Gulls took a 2-0 lead in the second inning by capitalizing on a pair of Salisbury errors, with Adam Regan's RBI single through the left side bringing home the second run. AJ Hamm tripled home John Fusco in the third to push the lead to 3-0. Salisbury's only run came on Max Ehrhardt's solo home run to left field in the fourth, but Endicott starter Brady Stuart kept the Sea Gulls in check the rest of the way, working six innings with 11 strikeouts and just one earned run allowed to improve to 9-0 on the season.
 
Endicott added insurance in the seventh when TJ Liponis scored on a wild pitch after being hit by a pitch and advancing on a Cade Bernardo single, then closed the scoring in the ninth on James Benestad's bases-loaded hit by pitch that brought home Kyle Grabowski. Jake Harmony shut the door in relief for Endicott, working three hitless innings with four strikeouts to lock down his second save of the season. Fusco reached base three times with a double, a single, and a hit by pitch, and Grabowski added two hits including a double and a stolen base. Salisbury collected five hits in the loss, paced by Nathan Tondreault's two-hit night including a double and Ehrhardt's solo homer, but Endicott's 15-strikeout pitching effort and ability to capitalize on Salisbury's miscues proved the difference.

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