LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — The top-seeded and No. 9/11 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team suffered a 19-8 setback to third-seeded Whitworth on Saturday afternoon, forcing an if-necessary, winner take all game seven from Yogi Berra Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

WP (4-2): Luke Stutesman (Richland, Wash.) — 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
LP (2-1): Jeremy Krendel (Framingham, Mass.) — 4+ IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
SV (2): Tyler Disch (Redmond, Wash.) — 3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

The Gulls jumped on top of the Pirates early, taking a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third via Kyle Grabowski's (Westfield, Mass.) sac fly to center.

However, the Pirates' bats awoke in the top of the fifth, chasing Krendel from his start and tapping into the Endicott bullpen.

Despite the best efforts of Evan Scully (Maynard, Mass.) and Colby Correia (Fairhaven, Mass.) out of the bullpen, the Bucs' scorching hot bats were too much to contain, and they began to pull away from the Gulls, highlighted by a seven-run seventh inning.

With their last ups, the Gulls refused to go quietly. Brenden Walsh (Reading, Mass.) smashed a three-run bomb over the left field fence, inching the Gulls a little bit closer. However, a few batters later, the Pirates eventually closed out their win, clinching a game seven in the Regional.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• First meeting between Whitworth and Endicott all-time.
• Anthony Lucibello (Orange, Conn.) and Shea LaFleur (Salem, N.H.) were both used out of the bullpen for the Gulls, marking their collegiate pitching debuts.
• TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine) and John Fusco (Naples, Fla.) both stayed hot with multi-hit outings.
• Cam Cabral (New Bedford, Mass.), Lucibello, and Finn Adams (Stratham, N.H.) each picked up their first career NCAA Playoff base hits in the late ninth inning rally. 
• First Regional round loss for the Gulls since 2023 at Bridgewater State.

WHAT'S NEXT

The two teams square off at approximately 3:30 PM for a winner-take-all Regional Championship.