NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University baseball team's postseason run came to a close on Sunday morning, as the sixth-seeded Cadets fell to third-seeded Saint Joseph's College of Maine, 8-0, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Pod B elimination game at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, Conn.
With the result, Norwich concludes its 2026 season with 13 victories and a 9-11 mark in GNAC play. The Cadets closed the year by returning to the conference tournament and also secured their first postseason victory since the 2024 campaign with Saturday's 4-3 elimination-game win over the University of Saint Joseph.
Saint Joseph's College of Maine used timely extra-base hitting and a strong performance on the mound to seize control early and keep Norwich off the scoreboard throughout the morning.
The Monks broke through first in the third inning, when a run-scoring double down the left field line gave them a 1-0 advantage. Saint Joseph's added to the lead in the fourth on a pair of solo home runs, stretching the margin to 3-0.
The Cadets threatened in a few spots but were unable to produce the breakthrough swing.
Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) led Norwich with a 2-for-3 effort and a double, while
Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.),
Trevor Lussier (Lyndonville, Vt.),
Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.), and
Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) each added a hit.
Saint Joseph's continued to build separation in the middle innings. An RBI double in the fifth made it 4-0 before the Monks pushed across another run on a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Later in that same inning, a two-run triple extended the lead to 7-0, and Saint Joseph's tacked on one final insurance run in the eighth to reach the 8-0 final.
Norwich finished with six hits on the day, but the Monks turned three double plays and limited the Cadets' scoring opportunities. Medhurst and Franus each reached base twice, while
John O'Connor (Southington, Conn.) also drew a walk.
On the mound,
James Vinchetti (Cromwell, Conn.) got the start and worked four innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out two.
Bryson Bush (Leonard, Texas) followed with two innings of relief, and
Isaac Parker (Jay, Maine) and
Jac Campbell (Havertown, Pa.) also saw time on the hill as Norwich worked through the remainder of the contest.
The loss ends a season that included a late push into the GNAC Tournament field and a resilient showing in pod play, highlighted by Saturday's must-win victory over the second-seeded Blue Jays. Pod B play will continue between Saint Joseph's College of Maine and Lasell University to determine who advances to next weekend's GNAC Championship Series.
