Norwich, CT -- Less than 24 hours after the two teams persevered through inclement weather and delays in a 13-inning marathon game, the sun emerged on Dodd Field, where No. 1 LIU and No. 2 Bryant met for the Championship Round of the 2022 Northeast Conference Baseball Championship on Sunday afternoon.

The sun was also shining on Bulldogs’ starting hurler Logan Frasier (Palmetto, FL/Palmetto), who went the distance to lead his team to a 7-2 win and force a winner-takes-all Game 7. The southpaw struck out seven batters and scattered eight hits to improve to 5-3 and keep Bryant’s season alive.

The Bulldogs wasted no time getting two in scoring position, and with one out, Carmine Petosa (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Memorial) capitalized with an RBI ground out to give Bryant the early 1-0 lead.

Sharks’ starting pitcher Ryan Neuweiler (Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy) held Bryant hitless, but got into trouble in the third when he issued back-to-back walks. That forced a pitching change that brought in Chris Beuhler (Stony Brook, NY/Ward Melville Senior), who loaded up the bases after he pegged the first batter he faced with a pitch. Shane Kelly (Sewell, NJ/Deptford Township) took advantage of the no-out situation and sent a deep shot off the center field wall to plate two runners and push the lead to 3-0.

The Bulldogs kept the momentum going and tacked on two more runs in the top of the fifth thanks to a two RBI single by Jackson Phinney (Marshfield, MA/Nobles).

LIU would bring its deficit back to three in the home half of the sixth after Luke Turner (King of Prussia, PA/Conestoga/York College) came up with a bases-loaded single to left field, but Bryant tacked on runs in each of the final two frames to keep the contest out of reach.

Frasier was in stride down the stretch, retiring six of the next seven batters he faced in the seventh and the eighth frames. Despite getting into trouble in the Sharks’ final at-bats after an issued walk and a base hit put runners on the corners, he induced a line drive to short stop to get out of the jam and seal the win.

Norwich, CT — LIU right-handed pitcher Nick Torres came into Sunday's nightcap expecting to work one or two innings. Little did he know that he would get the starting nod in the winner-take-all game of the 2022 NEC Baseball Championship.

The junior worked 6.0 scoreless innings and struck out five batters for the Sharks to propel LIU to the program's second NEC title and NCAA Tournament berth by way of a 7-0 victory over Bryant. That performance put a cap on an oustanding stretch for Torres, who was named the NEC's Most Valuable Player after allowing just one unearned run and registering 10 punchouts in 9.0 innings.

Behind a spectacular defensive performance, the Sharks used nine hits to plate seven runs to cap off a picture perfect day at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT.

LIU wasted little time to get things going in game seven, breaking open the game on an RBI double by Michael Edelman (New York, NY/Eleanor Roosevelt/Emory). With two outs, Carlton Harper (Canton, MI/Salem) singled up the middle to score Edelman and double the advantage to 2-0.

The Sharks tacked on three more runs on four hits in the top half of the fifth before they shut the door on the Bulldogs by delivering two more runs in the eight inning. 

Nick Desalvo (Brooklyn, NY/Xavieran) took over the pitching duties for LIU and continued the rally of scoreless baseball. The Shark struck out his first batter in the seventh, and after recording a strikeout to open  the final frame, he sealed the deal with one out and a runner on first by inducing a double play.  

The Bulldogs, who finished the season with a 30-27 record, cycled through seven pitchers as opposed to LIU’s two. 

NEC All-Tournament Team
Nick Torres, LIU (MVP)
Mikey Edelman, LIU
Joshua Loeschorn, LIU
Seth Surrett, LIU
Logan Frazier, BRY
Shane Kelly, BRY
Matt Woods, BRY
Jay DeVito, CCSU
Noah Martinez, CCSU
Joan Sosa, FDU