Box Score

BATAVIA, N.Y. – The Niagara baseball team won its second game in a row after taking a 15-inning marathon against Marist 3-2 on Monday afternoon.
 
“This was a huge win for the club,” Rob McCoy said.  “We have been playing very hard and needed that effort reinforced.  These guys never give up and I am very proud of their resiliency.”
 
Ryan McCauley got things rolling in the 15th for Niagara (10-13, 3-2 MAAC) with a single to right field.  Wynton Bernard, who almost ended the game two innings earlier when the wind kept a walk-off home run in play, bounced a double off the wall in left to put the winning run 90 feet away from home.  Niagara had two runners in scoring position with only one out in the inning.
 
Marist (7-14, 2-3 MAAC) decided to intentionally walk Jon Wilson to give themselves a chance at an inning-ending double play, bringing Thomas Rodrigues to the plate.  Rodrigues had been held hitless going into the at bat, but got on the board with a blooper that landed just on the fair-side of the right field line to bring home the winning run, giving NU the 3-2 win.
 
“That was a long game and the energy it took to compete at such a high level was extreme, it was just awesome,” said McCoy.
 
After Drew Fittry forced three groundouts for a 1-2-3 first, Niagara broke the 0-0 tie in the bottom of the first as Joel Klock doubled to left center, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a passed ball to give Niagara the 1-0 lead.
 
Marist scored a run both the second and third innings to take a 2-1 lead that lasted until the sixth inning.  Hink led off with a single to center and advanced to third on double by McCauley.  The Purple Eagles tied the game at 2-2 on a Wilson sacrifice fly. 
 
From there the bullpens would take over, allowing a combined 10 hits over the next eight innings of play until Niagara’s half of the 15^th when they collected three hits and a walk to earn the 3-2 win.
 
Fittry got the start for the Purple Eagles and threw seven innings, giving up the two runs on seven hits and striking out five.  The trio of Geoff Soja, Matt Munson, and Cody Lillich combined for another eight innings, blanking the Red Foxes while giving up only four hits with Lillich recieving the win.  Klock led the way offensively, going 2-for-5 and scoring a run.
 
Niagara is back in action on Friday when they hit the road to take on Manhattan Jaspers at 3 p.m.