Auburn, NY (May 25, 2024) – After six scoreless innings of baseball on Saturday night, RCSJ-Gloucester plated a pair of runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take a 4-0 victory over Northern Essex in the opening round of the NJCAA World Series at Falcon Park. With the loss, the Knights drop to 27-14 on the season and will face elimination on Sunday afternoon against the loser of the tonight's final game between Herkimer (NY) and Camp (VA).

Through the game's first six innings each team recorded just a pair of hits in a pitcher's duel, with NECC starter Jayden Voelker (Coventry, RI) pitching 6.1 innings of two hit baseball while he struck out nine and walked four. He was charged with one run following a one out walk in the seventh inning. Relfin Jimenez (Lawrence) came on in relief in the seventh and allowed three runs on five hits striking out two and issuing two walks.

The Knights had a pair of base runners reach in the first inning as Max LaLime (Portsmouth, NH) took the first pitch of the game back up the middle and Eric Wainwright (Falmouth) recorded a two out walk, but the inning ended one batter later.

Manny Castro (Manchester, NH) recorded a two out double in the fourth inning but could advance beyond second. The Knights put a pair of baserunners on in the ninth, but couldn't manufacture a run as Thomas Fratto (Reading) walked and Wainwright singled up the middle with two outs in the inning.

First pitch on Sunday is scheduled for 12:45pm