Campus News

April 28th, 2026

Madden blanks first-place Essex, 3-0

Pitching gem, two homers help Lakers split doubleheader

Bryce Madden threw a three-hit shutout while Parker Ferraro and Noah Broadwater each homered as Garrett College beat Community College of Baltimore County-Essex, 3-0, while splitting a Sunday doubleheader with the NJCAA Division II Region 20 leaders.

Ferraro’s solo homer in the third gave GC a 1-0 lead. Madden led off the fourth with a single and Broadwater hit the next pitch for a two-run homer that completed the scoring.

“We really liked the match-up between Madden and Essex,” said GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. “He was in control all day. He got ahead of hitters, and we played well defensively behind him.”

The Lakers’ best defensive play came when Knight Joey Rosa tried to stretch a two-out, sixth-inning double into a triple. Center fielder Sebastian Mayfield hit the cutoff, and shortstop Broadwater gunned down Rosa at third with Ferraro applying the tag.

“That really set us up to finish it in the seventh,” said Hallenbeck, with Madden retiring the Knights in order in the seventh.

Madden was the second GC pitcher in two days to throw at least six scoreless innings.

“Guys have started to come around pitching-wise,” observed Hallenbeck. “That will hopefully help in the playoffs. We need quality pitching appearances for us to go anywhere.”

Essex got the split by pounding the Lakers, 11-0, in the nightcap. Rosa (three RBI) and Yariel Hernandez (two RBI) each had three hits for the Knights to back Joe Cuceurullo’s complete-game seven-hitter.

Hunter Dakan (5-2) took the loss, yielding five runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings with two strikeouts and three hit batsmen.

“We played about as well as we could possibly play in Game 1. Unfortunately we played about as bad as we could play in Game 2,” said Hallenbeck.

After six games in five days, the Lakers are off until Thursday when they host Montgomery College in a 2 p.m. contest. Garrett finishes the regular season with home doubleheaders Friday against Anne Arundel Community College (2 p.m.) and Saturday against Cecil College (12 noon).

The Lakers (27-14 overall, 18-6 Region 20) have a lot at stake heading into the final week of the regular season.

Essex (31-11, 20-4) and Frederick Community College (28-11, 18-4) are currently first and second, respectively, in the region. Garrett, Montgomery College (22-15, 14-6), Hagerstown Community College (29-16, 15-7) and the College of Southern Maryland (18-17, 13-9) are in third through sixth place, respectively.

Eight teams qualify for postseason region play. The top two teams go directly to the Region Final Four, while third and fourth will host three-team play-ins where the host needs just one win to also advance to the Final Four.

First-place Essex has the toughest remaining schedule of the contenders, with its remaining regional opponents boasting a .636 winning percentage in region play. The most critical match-up of the final week could be a region doubleheader between Montgomery and Hagerstown, which could knock one or the other out of a host role in the play-in round.

WCCC 3, GC 1
GC 2, WCCC 0

Sebastian Mayfield’s two-out, run-scoring single in the first last Friday provided the Lakers with the only run they needed to gain a doubleheader split.

Noah Broadwater doubled with two outs in the first and Mayfield followed with his RBI single. Broadwater’s fifth-inning, RBI groundout provided the insurance run.

Broadwater started a 6-4-3 double play with the potential tying runs on base to end the game.

Kai Canson (4-2) shut out Westmoreland County Community College while allowing two hits and a walk over six innings with three strikeouts.

“That’s a pretty good line there,” remarked GC head coach Eric Hallenbeck. “He [Canson] would have finished the game, but he said he felt a little tingle in his tricep. He’s fine, but we decided not to send him back out.”

Bryce Madden pitched the seventh, yielding two hits while picking up his first save.

Eric Streussnig (5-3) threw a four-hit shutout as Westmoreland won the opener. Sean Franzi (1-for-3) and Darren Deriggi (sacrifice fly) drove in the game’s only two runs.

GC 17, Frederick 14

Frederick, MD – Matthew Firestone went 4-for-6, scored twice, and drove in four runs last Thursday as the Lakers clinched the season series with Frederick by rallying from a four-run deficit.

Felix Aubin homered while Jesus Fermin (two runs, three RBI) and Ethan Earley (RBI) each added three hits for the Lakers, who finished with 17 hits and 12 walks.

Vincent Cusat (3-for-6, three runs, four RBI) and Casey Westerberg (2-for-3, two runs, four RBI) each homered for the Cougars.

PSC 10, GC 9

Keyser, WV – Peyton Blue’s 10th-inning, run-scoring double last Wednesday capped Potomac State College’s comeback from a 9-4, ninth-inning deficit as the Catamounts rallied for the victory.

Blue, Lex Wescott, and Seth Healy each drove in two runs for the Catamounts.

Grayden Gillott tripled and drove in three runs for GC. Bryce Madden (2-for-5, run, RBI) also tripled for the Lakers.

Six Laker pitchers allowed a whopping 13 walks and 10 hits in the loss.