No. 1 Denison opened the Division III College World Series Championship Series the right way on June 3, beating No. 6 Endicott 6-0 behind seven scoreless innings from Cooper Marrs. The win put Denison one step closer to its first national title and gave it a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.

Marrs, who improved to 7-0, never let Endicott settle in. Denison scored three runs in the first inning, added another in the third and made the margin look even bigger when it pushed the lead to 5-0 in the sixth on a wild pitch. Ryan Pagenelis finished the final two innings, and Andrew Fazio later drove in another run in the eighth as Cade Nowik scored to make it 6-0.

The result mattered because Denison had already absorbed a loss in its College World Series opener and had to fight through the loser’s bracket just to reach this stage. That made the opening game of the Championship Series more than a clean win; it was proof that the top-ranked program could recover fast enough to keep its title run alive in Eastlake, Ohio.

Denison arrived here after a 44-game win streak, an NCAC championship and a sweep through the regional and super regional rounds, but the College World Series still forced it into a longer climb than expected. This was the first time the Big Red reached the Championship Series, and the shutout over Endicott turned that breakthrough into an immediate advantage.

Now Denison carries a 1-0 lead into the next game with the national championship within reach. Endicott has to answer immediately, because one more Denison win would finish the series and deliver the program the title it has been chasing.