Photo by Iowa Central Athletics: The Iowa Central baseball team reacts to Thursday’s loss at the NJCAA World Series in Enid, Okla. The Tritons had advanced to the tournament’s ‘final four’ for a second straight season.

ENID, Okla. — The Iowa Central baseball team had their run at the NJCAA Div. II World Series come to an end here on Thursday.

After surviving three straight elimination games, the Tritons fell to top-seed Pearl River from David Allen Memorial Ballpark in the semifinals, 14-4 in five innings.

“The finality of it all and coming to grips with that is obviously difficult,” ICCC head coach Eric Stein said. “Knowing this group will never be together again like this is tough. Not just because of how far they got — this is really difficult to do once, let alone in back-to-back seasons — but it’s an incredibly close team that has been special both on and off the field.

“I’m super proud of them. They are leaving the program in a better place than they found it.”

Iowa Central (53-12 overall) also reached this round last season, making it to the final four before a loss to eventual national champion Pasco-Hernando.

Parker Studtmann and Wyatt Myers both hit home runs for the Tritons, as Studtmann drove in three.

Pearl River (49-11) scored in all five innings, taking an 11-0 lead into the fifth when Iowa Central answered with four runs behind the homers by Studtmann and Myers.

The Wildcats had four home runs from four different players, as Jackson Hood and Chap Cook both drove in four.

The Tritons dropped their opener here to Monroe, 16-9, bouncing back with wins over Jones Frederick and Madison to stay alive. They have gone 101-29 over the past two seasons, including a 7-4 mark at the World Series.

“They’ve done some really amazing things that will get even more impressive with time and distance,” Stein said. “And that’s the hard part of this: trying to get them to see that in (the aftermath) of a devastating loss.

“We’ve been one of the four best teams in the country for two straight years. I just don’t want the disappointment of not winning a national title — which was their main goal — to overshadow everything they were able to accomplish.”

Sawyer Stein tied the all-time national RBI record for NJCAA Div. II, and ICCAC player of the year George McIntyre established a new single-season national mark for run scored.

Iowa Central also tied the school’s single-season record for victories — winning more games than any other squad in the country for 2026.

“We go through so much just to get this point,” Stein said. “As I’ve pointed out, making it out of our region alone is a monumental task. It takes a lot out of you.

“I’ll never forget these guys and what they did. We always try to establish our own identity while following in the footsteps of some of the great teams here, led by (former ICCC coaches) Rick Sandquist, Rick Pederson and Justin Meyer. We are a product of the teams that were here before us. They all set the stage.”

Iowa Central was making its 11th all-time NJCAA World Series appearance. The Tritons advanced in 1996 and ’97, and from 2000-04. They also qualified in 2006 and ’10, but had a 16-season drought until last spring.