Haverhill, MA (May 13, 2022) – A big 5^th inning from Jayden Voelker (Coventry, RI) on the mound and six runs in the bottom half of the inning now has the Northern Essex Community College baseball team on the verge of making the programs eighth trip to the NJCAA World Series. The win improves the Knights to 40-2 on the season overall.

#3 NECC 9 Monroe College-Bronx 1

• Monroe jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first when the leadoff batter reached on a base hit to left, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt. He would score the Express' only run of the game on a passed ball.
• NECC tied things up in the bottom of the second when Clay Campbell (Goffstown, NH) put the ball in the gap in right center field for a triple and would score on a throwing error when the Express tried to make the play at third base.
• In the top half of the 5^th, Monroe loaded the bases with one and Voelker came up big striking out the top two batters in the lineup to get out of the jam and energize the Knights offense.
• Logan Burrill (Amesbury) led off the bottom if the 5^th with a moved to second on a failed pickoff attempt and would come around to score on a single back up the middle from Kameron Levesque (Hooksett, NH). Richie Williams (Georgetown) advanced Levesque to third with a single to left. Both would come around to score on an inside the park home run from Chris Bear (Boston) as he placed the ball in front of the bleachers in the left center field gap. Nick White (Townsend) followed with a double to right and scored on a line drive to left by Richard Matos (Boston). Jared Coppola (Lynn) scored the sixth run of the inning after reached on a single, when Burrill making his second at-bat of the inning bunted the ball back to the pitcher, and the ball was misplayed by the first basemen.
• NECC would add two more in the bottom of the 6^th. With one out in the inning Williams and Bear would both reach. Bear came into score a sac fly from White, whiel Bear scored on a two out single to left from Coppola.
• The game ended in the 7^th via the NJCAA run rule (8 run lead after 7 innings). Voelker finished with nine strikeouts, walked a pair, hit one batter and allowed three hits.
• The Knights recoded 12 hits in the game, led by Bear's three RBI home run and five total bases.

Game two of the best of three series is slated for Saturday at Trinity Stadium with a 1:30pm first pitch. The Knights will play as the visiting team in game two. With a win, NECC will make plans for a trip to the World Series in Greenville, TN. A Monroe win will force a deciding game on Sunday at 1:30.