Late Surge Not Enough as Frederick Drops Tight World Series Battle

The Frederick Community College baseball team saw its memorable postseason run come to a close Tuesday afternoon, falling 5–4 in a walk-off to No. 7 Iowa Central (52-11) in Game 13 of the 2026 NJCAA Division II World Series at David Allen Memorial Ballpark. Coach Bennett is making his eighth all-time appearance with the Cougars at the national tournament. The Cougars battled back from an early deficit and were one out away from extending their season before the Tritons delivered the decisive hit in the bottom of the ninth.

Frederick found itself in an early hole as Iowa Central surged in the opening innings. A solo home run in the first and two more long balls in the second put the Cougars behind 4–0 before they could settle in. Starter Vincenzo Cusat absorbed the early damage, but the Cougars' pitching staff quickly regrouped. Matthew Calabrese delivered a strong middle outing, tossing four shutout innings to stabilize the game and give Frederick a chance to claw back. Jacob Curtis followed with a scoreless frame, keeping the deficit at four.

The Cougars began chipping away in the third inning when Cole Swinimer, who reached base four times and scored twice, crossed the plate on Luis Perez Alfaro's sacrifice fly to make it 4–1. From there, the game settled into a tense rhythm as Frederick's pitching continued to hold Iowa Central scoreless through the middle innings. 

That breakthrough came in the seventh inning, when Frederick's offense broke through with a three-run surge. Swinimer again ignited the rally, and Perez Alfaro delivered his second sacrifice fly of the game to trim the deficit. Clayton Dorsey followed with a clutch RBI single, and Riley Anderson worked a bases-loaded walk to force in the tying run. Despite being limited to just four hits on the day, Frederick made the most of its opportunities by drawing 13 walks and applying persistent pressure, turning patience at the plate into a 4–4 deadlock heading into the late innings.

The Cougars turned to Colin Milligan out of the bullpen to close things out as he navigated trouble in the eighth and carried the tie into the ninth. A combination of walks and timely hitting put the winning run in scoring position, and with two outs, the Tritons delivered a walk-off RBI single to end the contest.

Frederick never gave up and fought the entire game, as the Cougars overcame an early four-run deficit and stayed within striking distance despite being outhit 12–4. Although the loss ends the Cougars' postseason journey, it does little to diminish what was a remarkable year for Frederick. 

The team closes the 2026 campaign with a 37–15 record, capturing back-to-back NJCAA Division II Region 20 and Mid-Atlantic District championships and earning another trip to Enid. Competing among the nation's best and pushing a top-10 opponent to the final swing, the Cougars once again demonstrated the program's consistency and grit on the national stage.