Campus News

May 19th, 2026

Lakers reach Region 20 baseball title game

GC eliminates Essex, Allegany before falling to top-seeded FCC

Frederick, MD – Garrett College fought back through the losers' bracket to reach Saturday's NJCAA Division II Region 20 title game, where the Lakers dropped a 9-3 decision to top-seeded host Frederick Community College.

Frederick pounded the fourth-seeded Lakers, 15-4, in Thursday's opening round, but the gritty Lakers responded by eliminating second-seeded CCBC-Essex, 12-4, and seventh-seeded Allegany College of Maryland, 4-3, Friday in the losers' bracket. Fourth-seeded Garrett fell into a 3-0, first-inning hole against ACM, but the Lakers held Allegany scoreless over the final eight innings on the way to the come-from-behind win.

"It's the first time we've played for a championship since 2004," said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck, whose squad finished with a 33-18 record. "With the sophomores winning 69 games in two years, we've won a lot of games – and it's a tough region."

Sophomore shortstop Noah Broadwater, Region 20's Player of the Month in April, hit .467 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and five runs in four games to lead the Lakers.

Broadwater set the single-season school RBI mark, claiming the record with a grand slam as part of an eight-run second inning in the Essex victory. He finished the year with a .469 batting average with 14 home runs, a record 88 RBI, and 61 runs scored.

"I'm so glad that he got to showcase his talent on that stage," said Hallenbeck of Broadwater. "He's the best player in the region. It just fortified his place in the region by what he did in the tournament."

Meyer Cabrera hit .500 and had a .667 on-base percentage during the four games of the double-elimination tournament.

The Lakers also benefited from solid starting pitching as Bryce Madden (6-2 season's record) and Hunter Dakan (5-2) pitched impressively against CCBC-Essex and ACM, respectively. Keaton Walsh (4-1) was stellar out of the bullpen, including picking up the ACM win in relief of Dakan.

Hallenbeck saluted the victorious Cougars, who certainly justified their top seed.

"They played very well each of the three games that they played in the tournament," Hallenbeck said of the Cougars. "They played like they were the number one seed."

Tournament Recap

Frederick 15, GC 4

Frederick, MD – Jack Clarke (four RBI), Clayton Dorsey (four RBI), Luis Perez Alfaro (three RBI), and Cole Swinimer (three RBI) each homered while producing 14 of the Cougars' 15 runs in Thursday's opening-round win over Garrett.

Noah Broadwater hit a homer, scored twice, and drove in two runs to lead the Lakers offensively.

Evan Hassinger (9-2) spaced nine hits over 5 1/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks while allowing all four GC runs.

Perez Alfaro's two-out, two-run homer gave Frederick a 2-0, first-inning lead. The Cougars broke the game open with a six-run second highlighted by Swinimer's three-run homer down the left-field line.

GC starter Kai Canson (4-3) took the loss, yielding six runs on four hits and two walks in 1 1/3 inning.

GC 12, Essex 4

Frederick, MD – Noah Broadwater went 4-for-4 with two homers while driving in seven runs as the Lakers eliminated second-seeded Community College of Baltimore County-Essex.

Meyer Cabrera went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI while Grayden Gillott was 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI for the Lakers.

Bryce Madden went 5 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and four walks to earn the win. Keaton Walsh retired all four batters he faced to lock up the seven-inning triumph.

GC 4, ACM 3

Frederick, MD – Nick Suitte's two-out single on a 3-2 pitch in the bottom of the eighth drove in Luke Ross with the winning run as the Lakers overcame a 3-0 deficit to eliminate seventh-seeded Allegany College of Maryland.

Meyer Cabrera walked to open the home eighth. Pinch runner Ross reached second on a groundout and took third on a two-out passed ball before scoring on Suitte's single.

GC starter Hunter Dakan yielded three runs on six hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings. He blanked the Trojans after giving up Manuel Cartagena's three-run homer in the first.

"Hunter Dakan just put up zero after zero after zero," remarked Hallenbeck.

Keaton Walsh earned the win, going the last 1 1/3 innings while allowing just one baserunner.

"I knew after the first inning that we were going to be in for a dogfight," said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. "Keaton Walsh was incredible. All tournament long, he kept getting big outs when we needed them."

Frederick 9, GC 3

Frederick, MD – Casey Westerberg went 3-for-4 and drove in the go-ahead run in the home first as the Cougars took a 2-1 lead on the way to their title-clinching win.

Luis Perez Alfaro (run, four RBI), Andrew Varga (two runs, RBI), and Braydon Kelman (run, RBI) each had two hits for Frederick.

Noah Broadwater (hit, RBI) and Grayden Gillott (hit, run) each reached base three times for the Lakers, while Aiden Screen contributed a double.

Broadwater's RBI single in the top of the first scored Gillott for a 1-0 lead, but Perez Alfaro and Westerberg responded with run-scoring singles in the home first. The Cougars added an unearned run in the second and two more runs in the third as Kelman and Jack Clarke delivered RBI hits to give Frederick a 5-1 lead.

Cougar Colin Milligan (4-3) allowed just one run on two hits with six walks and three strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings to claim the win. Gregory Eddy (2-4) took the loss, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits in three innings.