Montclair State University Athletics

Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University Baseball team fell 7-1 in an elimination game to Whitworth on Saturday night at Yogi Berra Stadium, bringing its season and 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament run to a close.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (31-11) got on the board first, as JARED LEVIS drew a leadoff walk that led to a stolen base during the next at-bat. Immediately after, ZACH STEARNS ripped a double to left center to break the scoring open, plating Levis from scoring position. Whitworth broke the game open in the top of the third, loading the bases with back-to-back hits followed by a hit batter to begin the frame. A walk during the ensuing at-bat tied the game at one, with a fielder's choice pushing in the go-ahead run. Right after, a home run to right field wiped the bases clean, making the score 5-1. Following a flyout, a hit batter and two-straight singles drove in the final tally of the stanza, making the difference five after two and a half.
• Whitworth set down six of the next seven batters before BILLY TIGAR kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a double to left center. The Pirates escaped the threat, however, by notching three consecutive outs. They added to their lead with the final run of the night in the next half with a home run to right field to push the score to 6-1. Montclair threatened in the eighth with two outs, as Stearns singled to left field, with CHASE FISCHER being hit by a pitch right after to put two runners on. Whitworth escaped, inducing a flyout to send the game into its final inning.
• Montclair attempted one final rally in the bottom of the ninth, as DANNY O'BRIEN led off the stanza with a single to center field. JOHN TOMSHO was hit by a pitch during the next at-bat, forcing a pitching change from the Pirates. Coming out of the break, MICHAEL WANSAW JR. singled through the right side, loading the bases with no outs. A fielder's choice would generate an out at home on a 1-2 putout, as Whitworth notched the second out of the inning right after on a strikeout. The Pirates sealed the game during the resulting at-bat, inducing a ground ball to advance to the Regional Championship Game on Sunday.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Stearns tallied a pair of hits to lead the way offensively for the Red Hawks, his third double-digit hit performance over his last four games.
• Tigar matched the total with two hits, with his first marking the 100th of his collegiate career, coming in just 83 career games.
• O'Brien finished his freshman campaign with a hit in 31 of 39 appearances, with Tomsho tallying a hit in 28 of his 31 games.
• Wansaw pushed his hitting streak to 15 games dating back to April 10.
• The Red Hawks finished the 2026 season with 31 victories, their most since the 2022 campaign and the 15th time in program history that they surpassed the 30-win threshold. 
• Montclair qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2022 and 29th time in program history, hosting a regional for the first time since 2000. Their victory in the opening round marked their first in the competition since 2008.

FROM THE FIELD

"Thank you to our incredible group of seniors, they put together a long list of accomplishments during their time here. We're thankful for the support that we got all year from our fans, and we look forward to being back in action at Yogi Berra Stadium in 2027." - Head Coach Dave Lorber