HOOKSETT, N.H. – On Friday morning, #6-seeded Pace University Baseball saw its 2026 season come to a close, falling to #4 seed Adelphi University, 5-2, in an elimination game of the Northeast 10 Conference (NE10) Championship at Penmen Field. The #6 seed Setters finished the year at 23-27 overall after advancing into the double-elimination portion of the conference tournament with a dramatic first-round win over Saint Anselm College earlier in the week.
Pace had an early opportunity in the first inning when
Rocco Cimino doubled to left center to open the game and moved to third on a groundout, but the Setters were unable to push the first run across. Adelphi broke through in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead before adding another run in the third to extend the margin to 2-0.
The Blue and Gold continued to look for a response in the third, loading the bases after
Mike Manganiello walked, Cimino singled,
Justin Crispino worked a walk, and
Manny Carreras was hit by a pitch. The Panthers escaped the inning, keeping Pace off the board and maintaining their early lead.
Adelphi added runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to stretch the advantage to 5-0, while Pace continued to generate traffic but could not string together the timely hit needed to cut into the deficit. The Setters loaded the bases again in the seventh after
Cristian Rodriguez,
Nick Carlucci, and Manganiello each walked, but a double play ended the threat.
Pace broke through in the eighth inning when
Brayden Sweppenhiser reached on a walk and later scored as
Benjamin Tullo singled to right center, cutting the deficit to 5-1. The Setters added another run in the ninth when Carlucci launched a solo home run to left field, making it 5-2.
Cimino led Pace with two hits, including a double, while Tullo, Rodriguez, and Carlucci each added hits. Carlucci drove in the Setters lone earned run with his ninth-inning homer, while Pace drew six walks in the contest.
On the mound,
Sean Costello got the start and worked five innings, allowing three runs, two earned, while striking out two.
Joe O'Toole and
Dominic Carleo combined for the final three innings in relief, with Carleo tossing 1.1 scoreless innings and striking out two.
Friday's elimination game marked the end of the 2026 campaign for the Setters, who entered the NE10 Championship as the #6 seed and opened the postseason with a 7-6 comeback victory over #5 seed Saint Anselm. Pace's tournament run came one year after the program captured the 2025 NE10 title, continuing its recent presence in the conference postseason picture.
