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Salve Regina University

Salve Regina University Seahawks
Seahawks celebrate Hunter Yaworski's go-ahead home run in top of ninth
Emily Winslow
Seahawks celebrate Hunter Yaworski's go-ahead home run in top of ninth
3
Salve Regina SRU 35-8
4
Winner Kean KEAN 39-8
Salve Regina SRU
35-8
3
Final
4
Kean KEAN
39-8
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Salve Regina SRU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 3 7 2
Kean KEAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 1 4 11 0

W: Rob Salvatore (4-1) L: Romanowski, Nolan (5-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Ed Habershaw '03M

NCAA Super Regional | Seahawks downed but not out

Kean wins Game 1, 4-3, in extra innings

UNION, N.J. (Friday, May 23, 2025) -- Grady Schopps broke a scoreless tie with a two-out single in the seventh and Hunter Yaworski led off the top of the ninth and broke a 2-2 deadlock with his team-leading fifth home run, but #9 (NPI) Salve Regina University baseball had its school-record win streak halted at 20 games when #7 (NPI) Kean University scored the tying and winning runs in the ninth and tenth innings, respectively.

The Seahawks (35-8) had not lost since a 9-7 setback to Clark University on April 8. The Cougars (39-8) go up 1-0 in the best-of-three series and will be the "away" team on Saturday when Salve Regina looks to push the Super Regional to its fullest as Game 2 begins at 11 a.m. at Jim Hynes '63 Stadium.

Salve Regina brought six batters to the plate in the top of the first against Lucas White, but the freshman righty stranded the bases loaded. In the bottom of the first, the Cougars' leadoff batter Dominic Masino grounded a 3-2 pitch up the middle that Seahawk starter Brayden Clark stopped with his knee and threw to Tyler Petrosino for the out. After throwing some recovery pitches, Clark walked the next two Cougars before getting his first strikeout and then Dan Reistle had a first-pitch groundout to Petrosino to end the threat.

Both White and Clark had 1-2-3 frames in the second. Christian Homa worked his second walk of the game with one out in the Seahawk third, but was left on base after a fly out and a swinging strike three.

The Cougars got their first hit off Clark in the botton of the third when Nick Sellari led off with a single to right center. He was caught stealing on a strike throw from Seahawk catcher Shea Donovan to shortstop Schopps.

Kean had two runners on base with one out in the fourth when Clark got a strikeout and a line out to Evan O'Rourke in left field to keep the game scoreless. Both White and Clark had 1-2-3 frames in the fifth. O'Rourke had a one-out single to left field in the sixth and moved to second on a ground out before White retired Wil McCarthy on a fly to Tyler Stone in left field.

In the Cougar sixth with one out, catcher CJ Tomalavage doubled down the right field line despite a valiant attempt by Shane Williams to make the grab while crashing into the wall. Tomalavage moved to third on a Reistle grounder to Homa at second before Clark got the final out again on a liner to O'Rourke.

White got the first two Seahawks out in the seventh on four pitches before Donovan stroked a single to left field and stole second. Schopps ripped a 2-0 pitch up the middle for the first run of the game, but was caught stealing to end the top of the seventh. Clark struck out the first Cougar he faced in the seventh before the next two batters -- Justin Teixeira and Sellari -- went back-to-back with singles up the middle and to right center, respectively, with Teixeira taking third on a bobble in right. Sellari stole second and Masino dropped a two-run double into left center. Masino was caught stealing at third, Donovan throwing and McCarthy tagging.

Trailing 2-1 in the eighth, the first two Seahawk batters -- Brandon Grover and Homa -- reached base on a walk and single, respectively. O'Rourke faked a bunt and slashed a line drive to right that Teixeira turned into an out with a sliding catch. Williams reached on a fielder's choice grounder to second with Sellari flipping to Masino to erase Homa while Grover moved to third. Enter the game's first relief pitcher, Jason Basilicata, whose first delivery to McCarthy bounced for a wild pitch that allowed Grover to cross the plate with the tying run.

Nolan Romanowski relieved Clark in the bottom of the inning and got a one hopper back to the mound and a strikeout before Reistle singled to center. Three pitches to Brett Hilsheimer got the final out on a swing and miss.

Leading off the Seahawk ninth, Yaworski yanked a 2-1 pitch over the fence in right center to end a 1-for-22 slump and put Salve Regina back on top, 3-2. Pinch-hitter JT Abrusci singled up the middle and pinch-runner Dylan Falk found third base unoccupied after Teixeira's successful sacrifice bunt. The throw to third sailed high and allowed Falk to tie the score with an unearned run.

Homa led off the Seahawk tenth inning with a single up the middle and O'Rourke sacrificed him to second. Reistle robbed Williams of a go-ahead RBI with a diving grab at first base off a line drive. Homa reached third on a wild pitch but was stranded there after a grounder to Hilsheimer at third kept the score tied at 3-3 into the bottom of the first extra frame.

Romanowski got the first out on a grounder to Homa before Stone roped a single to left. The Seahawk hurler hit Tomalavage with a 2-2 pitch to move Stone into scoring position. Relieving Romanowski, Andrew Wertz worked a 2-2 count on Reistle before the first baseman won the game on a walk-off single to right.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Final: Kean 4, Salve Regina 3 (10 innings)
Records: Salve Regina (35-8), Kean (39-8)
History: Cougars capture the first-ever baseball meeting with the Seahawks. Salve Regina and Kean have met once before in NCAA postseason action when the Cougars visited the Rodgers Recreation Center in Newport, Rhode Island, in 2002 for a first-round women's basketball game (Kean won, 85-82). Seahawk field hockey welcomed the Cougars to Gaudet Field in Middletown, Rhode Island, in 2010 (Cougars won, 7-0). In 2018, Salve Regina softball had a 9-1 win in five innings against Kean in Kissimee, Florida, during The Spring Games. Since then, all other meetings have been in Union, New Jersey, including men's lacrosse in 2020 (Kean wins, 16-8) and 2024 (Salve Regina wins, 13-10).
SEAHAWK HIGHLIGHTS ON X
SUMMARY
  • T7 - Grady Schopps singled up the middle, RBI (2-0); Shea Donovan scored. | SEAHAWKS 1, COUGARS 0
  • B7 - Dominic Masino doubled to left center, 2 RBI (1-2); Nick Sellari scored; Justin Teixeira scored. | COUGARS 2, SEAHAWKS 1
  • T8 - Shane Williams advanced to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third; Brandon Grover scored on a wild pitch. | SEAHAWKS 2, COUGARS 2
  • T9 - Hunter Yaworski homered to right center, RBI (2-1). | SEAHAWKS 3, COUGARS 2
  • B9 - Justin Teixeira grounded out to 3b, SAC (1-0); Dylan Falk advanced to third, scored on a throwing error by 1b, unearned. | SEAHAWKS 3, COUGARS 3
  • B10 - Dan Reistle singled down the rf line, RBI (2-2); CJ Tomalavage advanced to second; Tyler Stone scored. | COUGARS 4, SEAHAWKS 3

NOTEWORTHY
  • Shane Williams doubled for the first Seahawk hit in the first.
  • Christian Homa had a pair of singles for the Seahawks.
  • The Cougars had multiple hits from Dominic Masino (2), Dan Reistle (2), and Nick Sellari (2).
  • Brayden Clark (No Decision) threw 105 pitches over seven complete innings with six strikeouts. Masino connected on Clark's 100th pitch for the two-run double in the seventh.
  • Nolan Romanowski (L, 5-1) faced 11 batters over 2.1 innings pitched with just one earned run against.
  • In its first four games of 2025 NCAA postseason action (all at its home Jim Hynes Stadium), Kean opponents have homered (Husson, Middlebury, Cortland, and now Salve Regina) while the Cougars have not left their own yard.
POST GAME INTERVIEW - Eric Cirella '05, Brandon Grover, Brayden Clark
ON DECK
Salve Regina and Kean play in Game 2 of the Super Regional at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, with an if necessary, winner-take-all Game 3 to follow 45 minutes after.
 
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