Cougars Open Postseason with Offensive Explosion Against Garrett Lakers

The postseason atmosphere arrived at Frederick Community College on Thursday afternoon, as the Cougars rolled past the Garrett College Lakers 15-4 in six innings to open the 2026 NJCAA Division II Region 20 Baseball Championship Tournament.

Frederick wasted no time setting the tone. Luis Perez Alfaro launched a two-run homer in the opening inning, then the Cougars broke the game open with a six-run second inning. Jaxson Wood delivered an RBI double before Cole Swinimer crushed a three-run homer down the left field line to put FCC firmly in control. Perez Alfaro and Clayton Dorsey followed with RBI hits as the Cougars built an 8-0 lead.

Garrett attempted to answer behind a two-run homer from Noah Broadwater, but the Cougars never let momentum slip away. Frederick added five more runs in the fourth inning, highlighted by Jack Clarke's towering grand slam to left-center field that pushed the lead to 13-2 and locked the home team firmly in the driver seat.

The offensive attack came from every part of the lineup. Dorsey finished with four RBIs, including a two-run homer in the sixth inning to end the scoring, while Perez Alfaro added three RBIs and reached base three times. Clarke drove in four runs, Swinimer added three RBIs, and the Cougars totaled 11 hits in the victory.

On the mound, Evan Hassinger earned the win and battled through 5.1 innings while striking out four. Matthew Calabrese closed the door in relief as Frederick secured its 34th win of the season.

With the win, Frederick advances to Game 4 of the tournament and will face the #7 seed Allegany College of Maryland Trojans on Friday, May 15 at 1:00 PM. Earlier in the day, Allegany stunned #2 seed CCBC Essex, 3-0, to continue its surprising tournament run. Garrett College will now face CCBC Essex in an elimination game on Friday at 10:00 AM.