The dog piles never get old.
Endicott College enjoyed yet another celebration at North Field on its Beverly campus Saturday. The No. 1 ranked Gulls dispatched Western New England, 9-1, to win the Commonwealth Coast Conference championship for the third consecutive season.
The title and accompanying berth in the Division 3 NCAA tournament were a fait accompli when Endicott scored three in the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull away. Brendan O’Neil hit two home runs in the title game: A solo blast in the fourth that made it 2-0 and a 3-run bomb in the fifth that provided a five run cushion.
That was more than enough support for pitcher Nicholas Cannatta, who tossed a nine inning complete game on 120 pitches. The CCC’s leader in earned run average did not concede an earned run and struck out six while scattering four hits with four walks.
It’s the ninth conference title in Endicott baseball history and the first time the program has won three straight crowns. The Gulls buzzed through the league playoffs, going 3-0 with a combined score of 22-7.
Winners of 18 in a row, Endicott is now 41-2 overall and a perfect 23-0 at home. That’s bad news for their opponents, since the nation’s top-ranked Division 3 team is likely to host next weekend four-team regional when the bracket is announced by the NCAA Monday afternoon. Coach Bryan Haley’s club will be looking to make it three straight trips to the Super Regionals and qualified for the College World Series for the first time last season.
In Saturday’s championship tilt, Dylan Pacheco went 3-for-5 with two RBI, Brenden Walsh had three hits and scored twice and A.J. Hamm added a single with an RBI.