Brooklyn, NY (May 19, 2023) – Three runs over the final two innings of game one of the NJCAA Northeast District Championship Series have the Northern Essex Community College baseball team on the brink of their second consecutive and ninth overall appearance in the NJCAA World Series.
NECC jumped out to 2-0 lead after four innings before Kingsborough Community College tied the game with a pair of runs in the seventh inning. With the bases loaded and one out in the eighth inning Kyle Hsu (Brookline, NH) grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Anthony Marcano (Boston).
In the ninth, NECC loaded the bases with one out a pair of hit batsman and a single from Marcano, then Lucas Berube (Dighton) sent a two out double down the right field line that scored Kam Levesque (Hookset, NH) and Cooper Smith (Bloomington, MN) to give the Knights a three-run cushion as the Wave took their final at-bat in the bottom half of the ninth.
Richard Matos (Boston) scored the first run of the game in the second after he led off the inning with a double and scored on a one out fielding error three batters later. Berube led off the fourth inning with double and scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly from Kevin Rodriguez (Manchester, NH).
Jairo Vazquez (Lawrence) started for the Knights and pitched 6 2/3 inning of four hit baseball allowing two unearned runs and while striking out 13 and walking two. Tristan Ciampa (Wilmington) closed the door as he picked up the win throwing the final 2 1/3 innings allowing one hit while striking out four.
Saturday's game two of the series was wiped out by weather and will be played on Sunday morning at 10:00am. The if necessary game three will be played 30 minutes following game two if the series gets tied up.
The Northeast District Champion will advance to the NJCAA World Series in Greeneville, TN with play scheduled to begin on May 27th.