GORHAM, Maine – Brayden Davis drove in six runs with a two-run double and a grand slam to lead the No. 1 seed Rowan University Profs to a 13-8 win over the No. 2 University of Southern Maine Huskies to win the 2026 NCAA Regional Baseball Championship at Ed Flaherty Field. Junior
Peter Keblinsky (Ellsworth, Maine) led the Huskies at the plate by going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored.
Rowan scored four runs in the bottom of the second and stayed ahead the rest of the way, despite a four-run sixth inning by the Huskies. Senior
Kyle Douin (Augusta, Maine) got the Huskies within a run at 6-5 with a solo homer down the right field line before the Profs were able to pull away with six runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Sophomore
Caleb Vacchiano (Cornish, Maine/Sacopee Valley) also had multiple hits for the Huskies, while Douin and junior
Mike Anquillare (North Haven, Conn.) each scored two runs.
Rowan's Christian Rice struck out 10 batters over 5.1 innings to earn the win. Junior
Carson Black (Porter, Maine) took the loss for the Huskies after allowing eight runs over 6.1 innings with five of those being earned runs.
Vs. Rowan
Records:
Southern Maine (32-12) 000 004 112 8-11-2
Rowan (36-5) 040 290 61x 13-13-3
Pitching Records:
WP: RU, Christian Rice (6-0), 5.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 10 Ks
LP: SM,
Carson Black (7-2), 6.1 IP, 10 H, 8 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP
How It Happened
- After both teams went down in order in the first inning, Vacchiano recorded the first hit of the game with a single to center field before stealing second. The damage was limited to just that hit as Rice struck out the next three hitters.
- Rowan scored four runs in the bottom of the second to take an early lead. Jason Schooley began the inning with a single and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt and a ground out and scored on a single up the middle by Brett Chiesa. Chiesa then scored on a single by Mason Dorsey after an error and Damon Suriani plated two runners with a two-out single to left-center.
- Keblinsky notched the first of his two doubles in the top of fourth, but the Huskies could not bring him home. The bottom half of the frame saw the Profs hit back-to-back singles to start the inning before Davis hit a two-run double to extend Rowan's lead to 6-0.
- Southern Maine cut the lead to 6-4 with four runs in the top of the sixth. Douin drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on a single by Keblinsky. After a fly out to right field, junior Carter Higgins (Truro, Nova Scotia) hit a single to center field to score Douin. Anquillare then made the score 6-2 with a single to right field. After a pitching change, Higgins scored on a balk to cut the lead to 6-3. The Huskies added one more run when an error on a ball hit by senior Chris Quigley (Halifax, Mass.) allowed sophomore Drew Scialdone (Amesbury, Mass.) to score.
- Douin belted his 38th career home run down the right field line to start the top of seventh. Keblinsky then legged out a double to left field and Vacchiano was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with the Huskies down a run with no outs. Rowan sent Evan Brasberger out on the mound who worked out of the jam by getting the lead runner at third on a bunt by Higgins before striking out a hitter and ending the inning with a fly out to center.
- The Profs had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh after a walk, a hit by pitch and a single by Dorsey when the Huskies replaced Black with Keblinsky. Rowan added two runs on a fielder's choice by McCoach and a single by Suriani before Davis belted a grand slam to left field to make the lead 12-5.
- Junior Evan Baschnagel (Garden City, NY) hit a two-out solo home run in the top of the eighth before Rowan added another run in their half of the inning on a single by McCoach.
- With the Huskies down to their final three outs, Vacchiano provided a leadoff single and moved to second on an error. Southern Maine sent junior Gabe Gifford (Bradley, Maine/Old Town) to bat with two-outs in the ninth and his first at-bat since April 21, he ripped a single past the second baseman to drive in two runs. The Profs, however, would get the next hitter to fly out to right field to clinch the regional title and earn a spot in the Super Regionals.
Up Next:
Southern Maine ends the season with a record of 32-12, the program's most wins since the 2021 team went 34-11. The 2026 Little East Conference Regular Season and Tournament Champions, the Huskies reached the NCAA Tournament for the 27th time in program history and the first time since 2021.
-rwd-
