Knights survive and advance to Memorial Day in the Elimination Bracket

Johnson City, TN (May 24, 2026) – The Northern Essex Community College baseball team, seeded sixth in the NJCAA World Series, jumped out to a 13-2 lead and hung on for a 13-9 win over seventh seeded Caldwell Tech (NC) to advance to the elimination bracket semi-final on Monday at 3:15pm, where they will play the loser of tonight's game between Dallas-Eastfield and Alexandria Tech (MN).

The Cobras jumped on the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the top half of the first inning before NECC, immediately responded with six runs in the bottom half of the inning and another seven runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Jaren Megan (Fairhaven) would lead the first inning with a double to the wall in right center and scored one batter later when David Castillo (Boston) took a 2-1 fastball over the 20 foot wall in left center to tie the game.

With one out, the Knights loaded the bases on back to back singles from Owen Derocher (Berkley) and Jack Aylward (Lowell) and a walk to Kade Masselli (New Gloucester, MA). Marbel Soriano (Boston) gave the Knights a lead they would never relinquish as he smoked a two RBI down the left field line and Stephen Diaz (Lawrence) would drive in the final two runs of the inning with a single down the right field line.

Megan would lead the second inning off the same way did the first with a double to center and would score on a single from Jake Yngber (Miami, FL). Derocher would then add an RBI on a double to left field that scored Castillo (walk) and advanced Yngber to third.

Caldwell recorded the first out of the inning the on a sacrifice from Aylward that allowed Yngber to score, followed by a well placed bunt from Masselli allowing Derocher to score from third. The Knights closed out the scoring as the final three runs of the inning came on a pair of wild pitches and a throwing error from Caldwell.

Caldwell would strike back for a pair of runs in the fourth, with three more in the sixth and solo runs in the seventh and ninth. NECC threatened on multiple occasions but could not add any additional runs.

On the mound Jack Sarno (Byfield) started on tossed 4 innings allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out eight and walking five. Eric Bridges (Saugus) came on to toss 1.2 innings allowing three runs on four hits before Dominic Pefine (North Andover) closed out the game pitching 3.1 of four hit baseball allowing two runs while striking out six.

The win was the 32^nd of the year for NECC improving the 32-9, while also picking up their first World Series win since 2023 when they finished third in the tournament.