Leesburg, FL (March 14, 2022) – The Northern Essex Community College baseball team remained perfect on Monday as they grabbed a pair of one run victories in a battle of two the NJCAA's premier programs.

Game 1: #10 NECC 2 #4 Oakton 1

Game 2: #10 NECC 3 #4 Oakton 2

Game 1:

• A complete game 88-pitch effort from Dallas Vaughan (Haverhill) willed the Knights past the Owls in game one. Vaughan struck out six, while walking two and allowing four hits over seven innings of work.
• NECC fell behind 1-0 in the third before scoring single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
• Nick White (Townsend) led off the fourth with a single and would advance to second on a passed ball, before being driven in on a two out double from Clay Campbell (Goffstown, NH).
• Kam Levesque (Hooksett, NH) would score the eventual game winner after leading off the fifth with a walk. With the bases loaded the Oakton center fielder misjudged a fly ball from White that allowed Levesque to come home.
• For the game the Knights recorded seven hits, Richie Williams (Georgetown) was the lone batter in the lineup to record multiple hits as he went 2 for 4.

Game 2:

• Oakton would jump out to a 2-0 first inning lead with a two run home run, but would not only see one runner advance beyond second base for the remainder of the game.
• Richard Matos (Boston) would crank his team leading third home run of the season and he took the ball to the opposite field over the right field fence.
• Kyle Hsu (Brookline, NH) led off the third with a single and would advance to second when White was hit by a pitch. After advancing to second and third respectively, both would score on a two-out two RBI single to right field by Joey Settle (Melbourne, FL)
• Levi Burrill (Amesbury) got the start for the Knights and went 4 2/3 innings striking out four and allowing three hits and issuing seven walks.
• Jack Swarbrick (Haverhill) and Tyler McDonald (Haverhill) came on in relief for the final 2 1/3 innings. Swarbrick struck out one and allowed one hit, while McDonald earned the save retiring the side in order in the 7^th with a pair of strikeouts.

Notes:

• The Knights are off to their best start since the 2015 season when they started 5-0 in the Sunshine State on their way to a 28-4 season, which included a trip to the NJCAA World Series in Kinston, NC.
• NECC is off on Tuesday and will return to the field on Wednesday in Davenport, FL where they will square off with #6 nationally ranked Herkimer (NY) in a twinbill scheduled for a 9:00am start.