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Niagara University Athletics

Cole Tucker Helmet Taps
Tom Manning
10
Winner Niagara University NIA-BASE 9-7, 1-0 MAAC
4
Saint Peter's SPU 1-18, 0-1 MAAC
Winner
Niagara University NIA-BASE
9-7, 1-0 MAAC
10
Final
4
Saint Peter's SPU
1-18, 0-1 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Niagara University NIA-BASE 0 6 0 2 0 1 1 0 0 10 13 3
Saint Peter's SPU 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 4 0

W: Hospital, Steven (3-2) L: Z. Walker (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Purple Eagles Pick Up Win In MAAC Opener

Jersey City, N.J.—The Niagara baseball team opened MAAC play on Friday as they traveled to New Jersey to face Saint Peter's. The Purple Eagles notched their first conference win of the season as they downed the Peacocks 10-4.
Game Recap
  • After a scoreless opening inning for both teams, the Purple Eagles struck first in the bottom of the seventh. Cole Tucker drew a five pitch walk to open the inning. Max Giordano stepped to the plate and hit his eighth homer of the season to give Niagara a 2-0 lead.
  • Later in the second inning, Jake Hutchins, Kelly Corl, and Brady Desjardins drew three straight walks to load the bases. Nick Groves then drove in a run with a single to make it 3-0. The next batter was Matt Ward, he drove a flyball to right field for a SAC fly to increase the lead to 4-0. Gavin Schrader then ripped a double to left center to drive in the fifth Purple Eagle run.
  • In the bottom half of the second inning, the Peacocks manufactured a run with a pair of walks and a hit.
  • In the top of the fourth inning, Groves started the inning with a walk. Ward then singled to put two runners on. After a flyout, Cole Tucker drew a walk to load the bases. Giordano then singled to drive two runs in to extend the Purple Eagle lead to 8-1.
  • Saint Peter's scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-4.
  • In the top of the sixth inning, Tucker opened the inning with a single which was followed up by a Giordano single. With runners on the corners, Hutkins notched a SAC fly to drive in Tucker to make it 9-4.
  • Niagara scored its 10th run in the top of the seventh. Wyatt Palmer opened the inning with a single and then swiped second. Groves then singled home Palmer from second. 
Niagara Notes
  • Ryan Minckler started on the mount and went four innings while allowing just one run on one hit and five strikeouts. 
  • Steven Hospital went 2.2 innings and allowed no runs on one hit and a walk. He had one strikeout. 
  • Liam Reynolds closed out the game going two innings while fanning two and allowing no hits. 
  • Four Purple Eagles had two hits while Giordano had three on the day, Groves, Ward, and Corl all had two hits. 
  • Five players had RBIs in the game, Giordano (3), Groves (2), Ward (2), Schrader (1), and Hutchins (1).
  • Seven of the nine starters had hits in the game.
  • Niagara set a season high with eight stolen bases, Groves had two while Ward, Vincent Mauro, and Palmer each had one. 
  • The Purple Eagles have now won seven straight games against Saint Peter's and 17 of the last 18 games against the Peacocks. Niagara is 41-11 against Saint Peter's dating back to 2003.
  • Giordano has eight homers this season which is tied for the lead in the MAAC and is a new career high. He is four homers away from tying the program record for home runs in a season.
  • The Purple Eagles had 13 hits in the win which is tied for the second most this season. Niagara has double digit hits in eight games this season, they are 6-2 in those games.
  • It is the first time since the 2018 season that Niagara has won its first MAAC game of the season.
Up Next
  • The Purple Eagles will play a doubleheader on Sunday to close out the weekend series with Saint Peter's.
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