CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

NEW YORK | The opening round of the 2026 Skyline Conference Baseball Championship saw St. Joseph’s-Long Island and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy advance with convincing victories,.

(3) St. Joseph’s-Long Island 9, (6) Purchase 0

St. Joseph’s (L.I.) opened its postseason run with a dominant shutout, defeating Purchase, 9-0, behind a balanced offensive attack and strong pitching.

After plating two runs in the first inning, the Golden Eagles broke the game open with a four-run fifth and added three more in the seventh. Joe Thatcher powered the offense with a pair of home runs and six RBI, while Paul McNally added a home run, two RBI, and scored three times.

On the mound, a trio of pitchers combined to limit Purchase to just five hits. Ryan Barlow earned the win in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

(5) Merchant Marine 9, (4) Manhattanville 5

Merchant Marine used a decisive late-inning surge to pull away from Manhattanville, 9-5, at Valiants Field.

The Mariners broke open a tight contest with a five-run seventh inning, highlighted by run-scoring hits from Ryan Melton, Axel Prechel, and a two-RBI triple from Davin Fulton. Melton led the offense with two home runs and three RBI, while Fulton finished with three hits and two RBI.

After Manhattanville rallied with four runs in the seventh and eighth innings to cut into the deficit, Merchant Marine added an insurance run in the ninth and shut the door. Levi Reale picked up the win in relief, and Caden Pierce secured the save.

With the wins, St. Joseph’s-Long Island and Merchant Marine advance to the double-elimination portion of the Skyline Championship. The fifth-seeded Mariners will face top-seeded Farmingdale State on Friday, May 8 at noon, followed by the third-seeded Golden Eagles taking on second-seeded SUNY Maritime at 3:00 p.m. The remainder of the tournament will be held at Farmingdale State College.