First Round Wraps Up in GNAC Baseball Championship Tournament

GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – The first round of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championship Tournament concluded Friday (May 3) evening with No. 1 seed Mitchell and No. 4 seed Colby-Sawyer winning in the Mitchell Pod, while No. 6 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) and No. 7 seed Norwich were the victors in the Johnson & Wales Pod. Pod Play continues tomorrow, May 4 with three games scheduled at each site.

In the Mitchell Pod, the hosted defeated No. 8 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) before the Chargers bested No. 5 seed Anna Maria, 10-8. In the Johnson & Wales Pod, it was the low seeds getting the advantage on day one. The Cadets defeated the host Wildcats, 7-6, while first-year program USJ defeated No. 3 seed Lasell, 9-1, for its first-ever GNAC Tournament win.

Action at both sites tomorrow starts with an elimination game between the losers from round one. Saint Joseph's will take on Anna Maria in New London, Conn. at 8:30 a.m. with JWU and Lasell hoping to keep their GNAC Championship hopes alive in Providence, R.I. with an 11 a.m. first pitch. Following those games, the two Friday winners in each pod will matchup. Colby-Sawyer and Mitchell will meet at noon in their pod and Norwich and USJ will play at 2 p.m. in theirs. The day will conclude with the winners of the early games playing the losers of the middle games in an elimination situation.

Each pod will have two remaining teams at the end of the day on Saturday. Those teams will compete in the Pod Finals on Sunday, May 5 with the undefeated teams needing only one win to advance as Pod Champion. Should the undefeated team fall in game one on Sunday, an "if necessary" game will be played.

The two teams advancing out their respective pods will meet for a best-of-three GNAC Baseball Championship Series. The Championship Series begins on Thursday, May 9 with game two and the "if necessary" game scheduled for Friday, May 10.

The winner of the GNAC Championship Series earned the title of 2024 GNAC Baseball Champion and will earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

#1 Mitchell 15, #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 6

Recap to follow.

#4 Colby-Sawyer 10, #5 Anna Maria 8

Recap to follow.

#6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) 9, #3 Lasell 1

Recap to follow.

#7 Norwich 7, #2 Johnson & Wales 6

Recap to follow.

2024 GNAC Baseball Tournament Schedule

Pod Play Day 1 – Friday, May 3

Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)

Game 1A - #1 Mitchell def. #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 15-6 | BOX
Game 2A - #4 Colby-Sawyer def. #5 Anna Maria, 10-8 | BOX

Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)

Game 1B - #7 Norwich def. #2 Johnson & Wales, 7-6 | BOX
Game 2B - #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #3 Lasell, 9-1 | BOX

Pod Play Day 2 – Saturday, May 4

Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)

Game 3A - #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine) vs. #5 Anna Maria, 8:30 a.m.
Game 4A - #4 Colby-Sawyer at #1 Mitchell, Noon
Game 5A - Game 3A Winner vs. Game 4A Loser, 3 p.m.

Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)

Game 3B - #2 Johnson & Wales vs. #3 Lasell, 11 a.m.
Game 4B - #7 Norwich vs. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 2 p.m.
Game 5B - Game 3B Winner vs. Game 4B Loser, 5 p.m.

Pod Finals – Sunday, May 5

Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)

Game 6A - Game 4A Winner vs. Game 5A Winner, 11 a.m.
Game 7A - If necessary

Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)

Game 6B - Game 4B Winner vs. Game 5B Winner, Noon
Game 7B - If necessary

Championship Series – Thursday, May 9
(Hosted by higher seed)

Game 8 - Mitchell Pod Winner vs. Johnson & Wales Pod, TBD

Championship Series – Friday, May 10
(Hosted by higher seed)

Game 9 - Mitchell Pod Winner vs. Johnson & Wales Pod, TBD
Game 10 - Mitchell Pod Winner vs. Johnson & Wales Pod, TBD (if necessary)

ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.

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