CWS NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 9/11 Endicott Drops Game One To No. 1/1 Denison, 6-0

PRESS CONFERENCE

EASTLAKE, Ohio — The No. 9/11 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team fell to No. 1/1 Denison, 6-0, in Wednesday afternoon's College World Series (CWS) National Championship opener.

WP (7-0): Cooper Marrs (Riverside, Ill.) — 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
LP (4-2): Jeremy Krendel (Framingham, Mass.) — 5 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 7 BB, 1 K

After the Blue and Green went quietly in the first, the Big Red did not wait around to take a lead.

They put up a three-spot in the bottom of the first, after some early yips from the Gulls.

Jeremy Krendel (Framingham, Mass.) eventually settled in and found his rhythm on the hill, but the Gulls offense stayed baffled.

John Fusco (Naples, Fla.) became the first baserunner of the day in the top of the fifth inning after his bloop into left field took a seat in the grass for a single.

Then, the following inning, James Benestad (Portsmouth, R.I.) ripped one into center for another single.

Unfortunately for the Blue and Green, the Big Red continued to keep Endicott runs from coming across while tacking on insurance runs of their own.

Facing a 6-0 deficit in the top of the eighth, AJ Hamm (Shrewsbury, Mass.) delivered the first Endicott extra-base hit of the day, a double down the left field line to lead things off.

After that, Denison removed starter Cooper Marrs (Riverside, Ill.), who was nothing short of dominant in his championship start.

With Marrs out, the Gulls instantly added pressure, as they loaded up the bases for TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine). 

However, once again, the Big Red found a way out of the inning without conceding a run.

With one final chance in the top of the ninth, the Big Red retired the Blue and Green consecutively to lock up the first win of the series.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• First ever championship series appearance for both Endicott and Denison.
• The two teams have met twice coming into today's matchup. Denison improves to 3-0 in the all-time series.
• The Gulls will be playing in their fifth elimination game this season (CNE playoffs, Regionals, Super Regionals, and CWS x 2).
• The two teams each rank top five in the nation in almost every pitching category.
• Max Jarvie (Wilton, Conn.) pitched three innings and limited the big red to just one earned run.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 9/11 Endicott (43-13) and No. 1/1 Denison (50-2) get set for game two, which kicks off tomorrow at 11 AM. 

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(Photo Credit - Jake Goodman '26)