Lynn, MA (May 8, 2022) – For the first time since the 2018 season the Northern Essex Community College baseball team is back on top of Region 21. (Due to COVID no tournaments were contested in 2020 or 2021). The championship victory was the Knights 39^th of the season to just two losses and give the program its ninth overall Regional Championship. NECC advances to host the NJCAA Northeast District Championship beginning Friday at Trinity Stadium against the yet to be determined champion of the Region 15 tournament in a best of three series.

#3 NECC 13 CCRI 1

• The Knights pitching staff led by the intensity of starter Todd Tringale (Saugus) held CCRI to one hit over nine innings of work as Tringale picked up his eighth win of the season tossing six innings on not hit baseball striking out nine and walking two.
• Jack Swarbrick (Haverhill) pitched the seventh and allowed one unearned run while walking two and striking out the side. Tom Cattaneo (Guilford, CT) tossed the final two innings allowing one hit.
• The Knights scored in six of their eight at-bats, recording a pair of runs in the 1^st. With one out Chris Bear (Boston) reached on an infield single, before coming around to score when Nick White (Townsend) hit the first of three extra base hits in the game with a triple to the gap in left center. White scored two batter later when Richard Matos single on a ball to left to give NECC a 2-0 first inning lead.
• NECC added two more in the 2^nd when the first three batters of the inning all reached. Kyle Hsu (Brookline, NH) would score the first run after a single just beyond the reach of the second basemen, he advanced to third on a pair of walks and crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Kam Levesque (Hooksett, NH) would score when Bear grounded into a double play to give the Knights a 4-0 lead after two innings.
• A single run was plated in the 3^rd as Lucas Berube (Dighton) cranked a two out double to left and would score on a wild pitch, before the game got blown open in the 4^th when NECC plated four runs for a 9-0 lead.
• Bear reached via error to open the inning and came around when White ripped a double to left and scored himself on a sac fly from Richard Matos (Boston). Jared Coppola (Lynn) and Clay Campbell (Goffstown, NH) would score the final two runs of the inning after reached on a single and double respectively.
• After Campbell and Berube both reached to open the 6^th, Campbell would cross the plate on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Luis Colon (Lawrence) and Richie Williams (Georgetown) drove in the second run of the inning on a single back up the middle.
• NECC plated their final two runs in the 8^th with one out, back-to-back doubles from Nick Panzini (Methuen) and Hsu. Hsu would then score the final run of the game when White reached on an error.

White was named the Regional Tournament's Most Outstanding Player as he hit .500 (4 for 8) in two games over the weekend after missing Thursday's tournament opener. He crossed home five times and added two RBI's and 10 total bases.

Game one of the Northeast District is set for Friday at 11:00am.