PORTLAND, ORE. – Niagara recorded 15 runs on 13 hits, including four home runs from three different Purple Eagles, to defeat Portland 15-7 Tuesday afternoon in non-conference action from Joe Etzel Field in Portland.
Game Recap
• After RBI singles from
Matt Ward and
Cole Tucker,
Vincent Mauro came to the plate with two away and two runners on. Mauro would take the first pitch of the at-bat before launching one over the left field wall to give Niagara a five-run lead in the first inning.
• Mauro would lose track of an infield fly, allowing Portland to get one back in the bottom of the first.
• Niagara freshman
Gavin Schrader would give the Purple and White a 7-1 advantage in the top of the second with his first career home run, a two-run shot to deep center.
• NU starter,
Brady Kobitowich, would make quick work of Portland in the bottom of the third, setting the Pilots down in order.
• Mauro would collect his fourth RBI of the contest in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly to left that allowed
Max Giordano to score and give NU an 8-1 lead.
• Schrader and Giordano would both hit two-run home runs in the top half of the fourth inning, giving Niagara a 12-1 lead.
• Kobitowich's day came to an end after five innings of work. The junior allowed three hits, one run (unearned) and struck out two in his first start as a Purple Eagle.
• After failing to score a run in the fifth and sixth innings, the Niagara offense pushed across two in the seventh via two 2-out base knocks from Groves and Ward.
• After a bases-clearing double from the Pilots made it a 14-4 game in the bottom of the seventh, Mauro would collect his fifth RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly to push across NU's 15th run of the contest.
• Portland would add three more runs to make it a 15-7 game with a bases-clearing triple in the bottom of the eighth off of Niagara's
Adam Smith.
Niagara Notes
• Giordano connected on his team-leading fourth home run of the season.
• Schrader and Milk's long ball's were the first of their Purple Eagle careers.
• Schrader is the first Purple Eagle to hit two home runs in a game this season, and first since
Josh Marchese did it in 2022.
• The Purple and White finished with four home runs on the afternoon, a season-high for NU.
• Niagara matched its season-high with 14 runs. The Purple Eagles scored 14 at Norfolk State on Feb. 26.
• Mauro's five runs batted in is a career-high for the Niagara Falls, NY, native.
Up Next
• Niagara will travel to Eugene, Oregon for a Wednesday afternoon tilt with the Ducks. First pitch between Niagara and Oregon is set for 7 p.m. ET.
