SALISBURY, Md.—The No. 14 Mount Union baseball team made history on Saturday at the 2026 NCAA Regionals with its 15-6 win over Bridgewater State in the first elimination game. The win breaks the program record for wins in a season, now with 32. Additionally, the 15 runs are the most by the Purple Raiders in an NCAA Tournament game in their second-ever NCAA Tournament victory.
Bridgewater (30-10) took a 5-0 lead with five runs in the third. Mount Union (32-11) answered in the bottom half, led by three straight doubles—courtesy of junior
Brycen Fox (Hamilton, OH / Badin), sophomore
Daniel Tome III (Cleveland, OH / St. Edwards), and junior
Drew Denham (Alliance, OH / Marlington)—which brought in four runs.
Junior
Trevor Szekely (Canal Fulton, OH / Northwest) excited the Purple Raiders fans in attendance to their feet with a game-leading grand slam, his first of his baseball career, putting the Raiders in front for the first time, 8-5. Three batters later, junior
Drew Doherty (Pittsburgh, PA/North Catholic) hit a two-run homer, the first of his collegiate career. The Raiders added two more runs in the inning (8 total) and led 12-5 after five innings. Mount would outscore Bridgewater 3-1 for the remainder of the contest to seal the historic win.
Junior pitcher
Christopher Maurer (Hudson, OH / Hudson) came in for relief in dominant fashion, allowing no earned runs and only five hits over 6.1 innings, while striking out three, improving to 4-1 on the season.
The Raiders totaled eight extra-base hits. Sophomore
Daniel Tome III (Cleveland, OH / St. Edwards) went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple, and had three RBIs. Szekely added a triple. Junior
Drew Denham (Alliance, OH / Marlington) went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
Mount Union will play the loser between No. 6 Salisbury and Hobart today at 3:30 p.m.
Mount Union, under the guidance of 30th-year head coach
Paul Hesse, is playing in their third NCAA Tournament ever in program history and second straight (2026, 2025, and 2013).
