College Sports

The Gulls forced a winner-take-all Game 3 after a dramatic comeback victory in Game 2.

By Kaley Brown

June 5, 2026 | 4:37 PM

3 minutes to read

The Endicott College baseball team came close to winning its first Division III College World Series National Championship in what was a hard-fought three-game series against Denison University.

The Gulls forced a Game 3 after winning Game 2 in thrilling extra-inning, walk-off fashion Thursday. Game 3 didn’t fall in Endicott’s favor as the Gulls fell 4-3 in extras.

In the winner-take-all third game, Endicott jumped out to an early 3-0 lead by way of a John Fusco RBI single and a TJ Liponis (a Scarborough, Maine native) two-run home run. Those were the only runs the Gulls would get in the decisive contest.

The Big Red clawed their way back and tied things up in the sixth inning off of starting pitcher Evan Scully (a Maynard native). Denison’s bats were held off until the 10th inning when they ultimately walked off Brady Stuart (of Hudson), who had started Game 2 just hours earlier.

Endicott’s appearance in this year’s National Championship marked the program’s first. The baseball program became the school’s first varsity team to play for a national title. The Gulls have competed in four consecutive College World Series and won five straight NCAA Regional Championships.

The National Championship trophy continues to prove elusive, but head coach Bryan Haley said his squad should be proud of finishing runner-up.

“I just feel like what you guys got to see on the field was some of the best baseball that you’re gonna watch at our level,” Haley said of his group. “Certainly the effort and what these guys poured into that field today … is something special that you don’t get to see very often. I couldn’t be more proud.”

“The sting I feel is like a mosquito bite compared to the love and the pride and joy that I have for everything [the players] did for us,” Haley added. “I couldn’t imagine a better group to go to the World Series four consecutive times, to get into the semifinals, and just compete all the way to the end.

“They know how I feel about them. It will never change. I just hope the confidence they have in what they did together carries with them the rest of their lives. I think it will. There’s nothing to hang your heads about. It’s amazing what you guys did. So, just extremely proud.”

Despite Game 3’s heartbreaking outcome, Endicott will not soon forget what occurred in Game 2.

The Gulls handed the Big Red just their third loss all season, including the playoffs, to force a Game 3 in electrifying fashion. Endicott found itself down 6-2 through five innings and on the verge of being swept.

The Gulls, who were the home team in the second game, found new life in the second half of the contest when they scored four runs in the sixth inning to tie things up. The frame featured an Adam Regan (of Braintree) sacrifice fly, a bases-loaded walk drawn by Kyle Grabowski (of Westfield), and a two-run double by Cade Bernardo.

Denison scored twice more in the seventh to take an 8-6 lead, but Endicott struck again in the eighth by putting up another four-spot to regain a 10-8 advantage. A Grabowski RBI knock, a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch off Brenden Walsh (of Reading), and a throwing error by the Big Red, costing them two runs, put the Gulls ahead late.

Denison forced extras by scoring twice in the top of the ninth, but Endicott had the final say. Fusco hit a walk-off sac fly in the bottom of the 10th to win 11-10 to cap off the back-and-forth bout and keep Endicott’s season alive.

“That first game was really special, obviously to win that one the way we did, it was pretty cool,” Haley said after the series.

Haley emphasized the team’s leadership group as a factor in their most successful season to date. He singled out Liponis, a senior, and called him one of the most positive people you’ll come across.

“They’re just tough,” Haley said. “They have a ton of heart. They don’t stop. They’re gonna keep fighting. Whatever happens doesn’t really bother them. They stay positive. They’re led by an amazing leadership group. … It’s a testament to the leadership. I’ve never seen anything like it, honestly.”