Montclair State University Athletics

Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University Baseball team saw a late rally come just short, as it fell to Endicott 6-5 in the winner's bracket game of the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (31-10) worked around an early threat from the Gulls in the bottom of the first, who loaded the bases on a double down the right field line and a pair of walks. CHRIS MATESIC halted Endicott by generating consecutive strikeouts to maintain the scoreless margin. Endicott pushed again in the second, placing a pair of runners on with singles and a fielder's choice. Matesic struck out the next batter and induced a ground ball that resulted in a 6-4 putout to bring the Red Hawks in once again. Montclair broke the scoring open in the top of the fourth, as JOHN TOMSHO singled to right field with two outs and stole second base to put a runner in scoring position. During the ensuing at-bat, MICHAEL WANSAW JR. ripped a single to right center to plate Tomsho and push the Red Hawks in front.
• Endicott countered in the bottom of the fifth, as an error and foul out moved a runner to third. A hit during the next at-bat brought in the leveler, with another hit putting a pair of runners on with one out. Following a punchout right after, a double to right field cleared the bases and pushed the Gulls in front 3-1 after five frames of play. CHASE FISCHER kicked off the sixth with a double to left field, and following a pitching change from Endicott, MATT KALISKE sent a double to left center to slice the deficit in half by driving in Fischer. The Gulls notched a leadoff walk in the home half of the sixth, with LOGAN SHUMARD entering the contest and recording three consecutive outs to nudge the game into the final third.
• Montclair hit right back in the eighth, as Fischer launched a home run over the fence in left center to tie the game at three, forcing another pitching change from the Gulls. Endicott put two runners on with one out, moving both into scoring position on a wild pitch. A single through the right side drove in a pair of tallies to push the Gulls back in front, 5-3. After a groundout, a double to left center scored the final run of the afternoon for Endicott, making the difference three going into the top of the ninth. Montclair mounted a rally in the ninth, putting the first two on as MICHAEL WANSAW JR. was hit by a pitch with CHRIS GONZALO drawing a walk during the next at-bat. The Gulls recorded two outs during the next two at-bats, with ZACH STEARNS being hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Fischer punched a single through the left side to drive in two runs and cut the deficit to one. Endicott changed pitchers and induced a groundout during the ensuing at-bat to seal the victory.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Fischer matched his season-best with a trio of hits, driving in a game-high three runs. His home run was his fifth of the season and 13th of his Montclair career.
• Egenhauser tallied his 17th multi-hit performance of the campaign. Levis has notched a hit in five-straight games, reaching base safely in all 41 games this season.
• Tomsho recorded another hit, notching one in 27 of his 30 collegiate games. Wansaw and Kaliske each amassed a hit and run batted in, with Wansaw extending his hitting streak to 14 games dating back to April 10. 
• Matesic got the start for the Red Hawks, striking out five over five innings, with Shumard spanning the final three frames.

FROM THE FIELD

"A great battle against a really good team, we will look to quickly refocus against Whitworth later tonight." - Head Coach Dave Lorber

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will square off with Whitworth in a NCAA Tournament elimination game on Saturday, May 16, with first pitch from Yogi Berra Stadium scheduled for 6:00 PM.