The streak of consecutive national championship wins has ended for the Roadrunner Baseball team, but the team nonetheless went down fighting Wednesday night.
No. 3 seed SUNY Niagara held on for a 12-8 triumph over No. 2 RCSJ Gloucester to win the NJCAA Division III National Championship at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, TN. The Thunder win halted the Runners' streak at three straight national crowns as a fourth straight title was not in the cards.
Niagara's Cam Gravelle and Cooper Rossano accounted for a good chunk of the winners' offense, driving in a combined 8 runs.
The RCSJ offense performed well despite the loss as Joe Maier, Jack Mustaro, and Nick Izzo smashed home runs, with Mustaro collecting three hits on the evening.
But the Runners were forced to play catch up early and often in this matchup, and they simply ran out of answers in the end.
The Thunder held leads of 6-1, 8-2, and 12-6 before the Runners fell short in the ninth inning.
Niagara pitchers Keegan Baziner, Mike Munzert and Cooper Polcovich combined to hold the Runners in check to pick up the victory.
Coach Rob Valli's Runners finished the 2026 season with an impressive 44-13 overall record, including a solid 4-2 run in the national tournament, despite having the overcome a series of key injuries throughout the campaign.
Roiund Five, May 26, 2026, National Semifinal
The #2 seed Roadrunner Baseball team has arrived in a familiar position as they begin their next quest -- competing for an NJCAA Division III National Championship!
Thanks to some power hitting from third baseman Alex Apicella (3 hits, 3 RBIs), Carter Cumiskey (2 hits, 3 RBIs), Nick Slogik (2 hits, 3 RBIs), and Jack Mustaro (2 hits, 2 RBIs), the Runners built a late lead and held on to beat #1 seed Dallas College-Eastfield, 12-10, in a national semifinal Tuesday in Johnson City, TN.
That win vaulted RCSJ, the three-time defending national champion, into tonight's championship series vs, #3 SUNY Niagara. This will not be an easy series as the Runners had lost a tight battle to the Thunder just this past Sunday and must win twice to earn a fourth straight crown.
But there is little doubt among the players that the Runners are ready for the challenge.
"We've been here before and we've won before," said reliable lead-off hitter Joe Maier, who also delivered 2 hits and an RBIs vs. Dallas-Eastfield. "We're confident with our lineup -- hitting and pitching -- that we're going to get the job done."
Third baseman Alex Apicella, who has been a solid hitter throughout the postseason, knows tonight's series will be tough but that the Runners are ready for prime time.
"The beauty of our lineup is that we might get an out but we know the next guy will get it done," he said. "We all feel loose at the plate. Having this type of lineup takes the pressure off any one individual."
Against Dallas-Eastfield, the Runners fell behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, but Apicella lifted the team with a solo home run while Slogik ripped an RBI double in the bottom of the frame for a 2-1 RCSJ advantage. The Bees then rebounded to grab a 4-2 lead before the Runners erupted for 3 in the fourth and 5 in the fifth to take a commanding 11-5 advantage. Cumiskey continued his hot hitting with a key RBI double in the fourth and 2-run double in the fifth.
The Runners could never get comfortable, however. Eastfield's Jayden Boyd and Sebastian Palma delivered RBI singles in the ninth inning to move the Bees' closer at 12-10 before the Runners' notched the final out to punch their ticket to the championship round.
Earlier in the day, the Runners won an elimination game vs. Northern Essex, 17-2, to advance to the national semifinal vs. Dallas-Eastfield.
Tonight's championship series will get started at 7 pm and will be a highly anticipated matchup. Watch for updates.
Round Four -- May 26, 2026,
Freshman Jack Mustaro belted a three-run homer and knocked in four runs to lead the #2 seed Roadrunner Baseball team past #6 Northern Essex CC, 17-2, in five innings in an elimination game Tuesday during the NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series in Johnson City, TN.
Also hitting home runs for the Runners were Alex Apicella, Nick Izzo, and Nick Slogik. The Runners erupted for 10 runs in the fourth inning to put the game away. At the outset they fell behind 2-0 before answering with some mighty offensive fireworks over the next several innings.
Winning pitcher Doug King scattered 3 hots and struck out 4 in 5 innings of work.
The win enabled the Runners to advance to a national semifinal vs. #1 seed Dallas College Eastfield, which started at 4:30 pm Tuesday afternoon. Watch for further updates.
Round Three -- May 25, 2026
It proved inevitable that #2 seed Roadrunner Baseball and #5 Brookdale CC, both Region 19 powers, would meet again in this year's NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series.
And yes, that's exactly what played out with both clashes resulting in epic comeback wins for Coach Rob Valli's Runners.
On Sunday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, TV, RCSJ's Nick Slogik once again provided the late heroics with a walk-off grand slam to finish off a 16-12 thriller over the Jersey Blues in an elimination bracket triumph.
Slogik had plenty of help throughout the day, including an earlier grand slam from leadoff hitter Joe Maier, who consistently has risen to the occasion when the team needs him most.
Nonetheless, despite the amazing Roadrunner power surge, the winners were forced to fight a tough battle vs. Brookdale like they did on May 16th. That's when they fell behind the Jersey Blues, 17-1, only to stage a rally for the ages in earning a win that netted the squad the Region 19 title that evening.
This time, Valli's team fell behind by 12-6 in the top of the eighth inning before they tied it, 12-12, with 6 in the bottom of that frame. They then settled the matter for good with 4 more on Slogik's slam in the ninth inning.
Brookdale held leads of 3-0 and 5-2 early in the game, but simply could find no answer for the Runners' power-packed lineup.
"We always go up to bat looking for that big hit -- and we also know someone is there to pick us up if it doesn't work out," said Slogik, the Region 19 Player of the Year. "It's great to have this support and makes it easier to focus on what we need to do."
Maier also contributed a huge blast of his own with a grand slam in the eighth inning to make it 12-10 before teammate Jack Mustaro cracked a two-run homer moments later to tie the score at 12-12.
"With our lineup, we always chip, chip and chip away some more, and we usually end up with some big innings when all is said and done," said Maier, a sophomore. "We know we're always in every ball game -- for us, it's never over until the final pitch."
On the day for RCSJ, Alex Apicella, Slogik, Mustaro and Gavin Cohen each had two hits with Cohen launching a two-run HR, while slugger Nick Izzo ripped a solo home run.
The Runners will play #6 Northern Essex in an elimination game Tuesday, with the winner of that contest advancing to the national semifinal.
Watch for updates.
Round Two -- May 24, 2026
The # 2 seed Roadrunner Baseball team fell short in Sunday action at the NJCAA Division III World Series, dropping a tight 9-7 contest to #3 SUNY Niagara in Johnson City, TN.
And now a familiar opponent awaits this afternoon in #5 Brookdale as the Runners look to extend their run through the D III World Series competition.
Against SUNY Niagara, the Runners raced to a 5-1 lead with a 5-run second inning before Niagara scored one in the third and then 6 in the fifth to claim an 8-5 lead. Niagara extended the lead to 9-5 in the eighth while the Runners staged a late comeback with two in the eighth in a rally that fell short.
Leadoff man Joe Maier paced the RCSJ offense with 2 hits and 2 RBIs while DH Carter Cumiskey also added 2 hits. Alex Apicella chipped in with an RBI double.
Shortstop Cam Gravelle picked up 3 hits and scored 3 runs while catcher Dalton Harper collected 3 hits and 3 RBIs for SUNY Niagara.
The loss dropped the Runners into today's elimination bracket face off vs. #5 Brookdale in a 12:45 pm start. The last time these two teams met, the Runners overcame a 17-1 deficit to take home a memorable a 25-18 victory in the Region 19 championship game on May 16th.
Watch for more results.
Opening-Round Action on May 23
It took a lengthy rain delay followed later by a 7-run outburst -- and it was enough to enable the #2 seed Roadrunner Baseball team to advance to round two of the NJCAA Division World Series Saturday.
The Runners, three-time defending Division III national champions, grabbed a 12-2 triumph over #7 Caldwell Tech, thanks to a 7-run explosion in the fifth inning that propelled the six-inning victory. The two teams started play at 12:45 pm but were locked in a tight 3-2 battle after 4 innings when rain forced a lengthy delay into the late afternoon.
First baseman Nick Slogik (2 RBIs) and outfielder Nick Izzo slammed home runs while Joe Maier, Caleb Delaney, Carter Cumiskey and Jack Mustaro all added two RBIs each. Catcher Jayden Rosado also ripped a pair of doubles.
Tommy Bradley earned the victory on the mound, striking out 5 and allowing two runs in four innings.
The Runners will next square off against SUNY Niagara in a 4 pm start Sunday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, TN. The #4 Thunder advanced with an 11-5 win over #6 Northern Essex.
In other action, #1 Dallas College Eastfield advanced in the winner's bracket with an 9-1-thumping over #8 Oakton Community College.
TOURNAMENT PREVIEW
The Roadrunner Baseball team enters the 2026 NJCAA Baseball Division III World Series this weekend as the No. 2 overall seed and once again as a top contender to repeat as national champions.
But they sure got here the hard way!
The three-time defending national champions engaged in an epic battle on May 16th to emerge as Region 19 / North Atlantic District champions as they rallied from a 17-1 deficit to topple Brookdale, 25-18, for the Region crown behind a three-home run outing by tourney MVP Alex Apicella.
Now they hope to continue with the hot bats as they focus on trying to win their fourth straight national title as they open play Saturday against No. 7 Caldwell Tech. First pitch is set for 12:45 pm.
See complete first round match-ups below for Saturday, May 23rd.
Click Below to View Roadrunner Baseball Roster
https://rcroadrunners.com/sports/bsb/2025-26/roster?view=list
NJCAA Division III World Series
May 23-27, 2026
TVA Credit Union Ballpark
Johnson City, TN
Double-Elimination Tournament
Championship Final
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
No. 3 SUNY Niagara 12, No. 2 Roadrunenrs 8
Niagara Wins National Title
Fourth-Round Games
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
Elimination Game
No. 2 Roadrunners 17, #6 Northern Essex 2
National Semifinal / Elimination Game
No. 2 Roadrunners 12, #1 Dallas College-Eastfield 10
Third-Round Games
Monday, May 25, 2026
No. 2 RCSJ Roadrunners vs. #5 Brookdale
RCSJ Roadrunner win, 16-12
Second-Round Games
Sunday, May 24, 2026
#2 RCSJ Roadrunners vs. #3 SUNY Niagara
SUNY Niagara wins, 9-7
#5 Brookdale CC vs. # 8 Oakton CC
Brookdale wins, 15-14
#6 Northern Essex vs. #7 Caldwell CC
Northenrn Essex wins, 13-9
First-Round Games
Saturday, May 23, 2026
#6 Northern Essex vs. #3 SUNY Niagara, 9:30 am
SUNY Niagara advances, 11-5
#2 RCSJ Gloucester vs. #7 Caldwell Tech, 12:45 pm
RCSJ Gloucester advances, 12-2
#8 Oakton Community College vs. #1 Dallas College-Eastfield, 4 pm
Dallas College-Eastfield advances, 9-1
#5 Brookdale CC vs. #4 Alexandria Technical and Community College, 7:15 pm
#4 Alexandria Tech advances, 13-7
NJCAA Bracket Release
https://njcaachampionship.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/div3/2025-26/2026_DIII_Baseball_WS_-_Bracket.pdf
NJCAA Division III World Series Results
https://njcaachampionship.prestosports.com/sports/bsb/div3/2025-26/National_Championship_Results