CENTER VALLEY, Pa. (May 15, 2026 -- NCAA Division III DeSales Regional) - Nationally fourth-ranked Salve Regina University baseball scored an 11-2 win over Marymount University in the first game of the NCAA Division III Championship DeSales Regional, hosted by DeSales University at Weiland Park in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, on Friday.
The Seahawks (37-6) advance in the winners bracket of the regional to face the winner of second-seeded DeSales and third-seeded Ramapo on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. Fourth-seeded Marymount (27-18) faces elimination along with the loser of Game 2 as Game 3 is scheduled for an 11 a.m. first pitch at Weiland Park.
Salve Regina has won its regional opener for the fourth straight season (2023-2026). Against the Saints, the Seahawks plated single runs in the second, third, and fourth innings, before scoring five times in the fifth.
HIGHLIGHTS ON YOUTUBE
Dylan Cimini (Stonington, Conn.) had a one-out solo homer to right field in the sixth.
Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) led off a two-run eighth inning for the Seahawks with a solo blast. O'Rourke also made a diving grab in left center for the second out in the top of the ninth which, at the time, preserved a shutout for Seahawk starter
Luis Ortiz Ramirez (Boston, Mass.) before the Saints scored a pair after being blanked for 8.2 frames. Ortiz Ramirez improves to 10-0 on the season.
Salve Regina played a clean game in the field behind Ortiz Ramirez and reliever
Jakob Oliver (Ramsey, N.J.) including an inning-ending double play in the seventh turned by 3B
James Anastasopoulos (Sherborn, Mass.) to 2B
Jake Harring (Portsmouth, N.H.) to 1B
Elliot Hamilton (Glastonbury, Conn.). The Seahawk infielders, including SS
Grady Schopps (Fairfield, Conn.), combined for eight hits and seven runs batted in.
Hamilton started a two-out rally in the second with a single up the middle and moved to third on Schopps'Â single through the right side. Anastasopoulos knocked a 1-2 pitch up the middle for the game's first run. O'Rourke led off the third with a walk and stole second before reaching third on a ground out.
Brady Smolinski (North Grafton, Mass.) cashed in with an RBI single to center field.
Anastasopoulos added his second RBI when he singled up the middle in the fourth and Hamilton scored.
Seahawks started a five-run fifth with extra base hits -- a lead off double from
Shane Williams (Georgetown, Mass.) and he scored immediately on a triple by Cimini. Smolinski was hit by a pitch (first of two plunks on the day for the Seahawk catcher) and Harring singled Cimini in for a 5-0 lead. Hamilton doubled in Smolinski and that ended the day for Saints' starterÂ
Ben Smallwood (Fairfax, Va.).Â
Owen Singer's (Potomac, Md.) first two Seahawks faced -- Schopps and Anastasopoulos -- both lifted sacrifice flies to increase the advantage to 8-0.
After O'Rourke's lead off homer in the eighth, Smolinski followed a Cimini base on balls with a double down the right field line. Harring's grounder to the right side produced the final Seahawk run.
Evan Schick (Burke, Va.) andÂ
Anthony Farmakides (Falls Church, Va.) sandwiched singles around a strikeout in the Saints' last at bat. Ortiz Ramirez worked againstÂ
Seth Sadler (Chesapeake, Va.) whose sinking line drive was snared by a diving O'Rourke in left center. A walk was followed by an RBI infield single byÂ
Joshmar Carbonell (Jacksonville, Fla.).Â
Quincy Via (Springfield, Va.) bounced another infield single off Oliver's glove for the second Saints' run. Salve Regina owns a 2-0 mark all-time against Marymount; the
Seahawks defeated the Saints, 7-3, on March 12, 2025, in Auburndale, Florida.
QUOTABLE SEAHAWKS
"Pretty good game, this is what we try to do, we made some adjustments. Obviously, they've got their best pitcher on the mound, so it took a little while to break through. It was nice to see some guys get some two-out RBI singles – Smo (Brady Smolinski), Anto (James Anastasopoulos) had one. We were able to push a few across and let Luis (Ortiz Ramirez) do his thing out there and not have to be perfect. I thought we did a good job offensively, defensively, a few really good plays … outfielders, Grady (Schopps) – he's always outstanding – and got a quality start out of Luis." -- Seahawk head coach Eric Cirella '05
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"I just trust my guys out there. I do my best getting ahead on guys, throw strikes, that's what Coach is always looking for, and just trust my stuff." -- Seahawk starting pitcher Luis Ortiz Ramirez
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"He's (Luis) really fun to catch. He attacks guys and the ball's going to be put in play which is fun for me and the seven guys behind him. Offensively, we did a really good job adjusting off that first guy, he had really good stuff. He could place the ball and had a couple of different pitches that moved in the opposite direction. All it takes for us to get going is a couple of big two-out hits, two innings in a row, and then put up a big number." -- Seahawk catcher Brady Smolinski
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