Towson, MD—The Niagara baseball team secured a series win on Sunday as they defeated the Towson Tigers 13-9.
How it Happened
Brady Desjardins opened the scoring on just the eighth pitch of the game as he hit a solo homer with one out in the top of the first inning to make it 1-0 Niagara.
Niagara added another run in the top of the second as Matt Ward got on base with a one out walk. Rees Kozar then singled to put runners on first and second. After an out, Desjardins put the ball in play and after a pair of errors from the Tigers, Ward came across with the second Purple Eagle run.
Towson took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
The Purple Eagles took the lead back in the top of the third inning. Nick Monile opened the inning with a walk and then moved up to second on a balk. After a popout and flyout that moved Monile to third. Ward then singled up the middle on a 2-2 pitch to bring home Monile. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Niagara tied the game on a passed ball. With runners on second and third, Desjardins legged out an infield single to give Niagara a 5-4 lead.
Niagara took a 6-4 lead in the top of the fourth. Gavin Schrader opened the inning by getting hit by a pitch and then stealing second. After a strikeout, Schrader advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kelly Corl drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Schrader came across with the sixth Niagara run on a wild pitch.
In the top of the fifth, Eric Rataczak tripled to right center that brought Desjardins home from first with two outs to make it 7-4.
Towson tied the game in the bottom of the fifth inning as they scored three runs on four hits.
The Tigers took a 9-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning as they pushed across two runs on one hit and a Niagara error.
Niagara responded in the top of the seventh inning. Kozar drew a one out walk to start the rally. Kozar moved up to second on a groundout. With Kozar with on second, Desjardins hit his second homer of the game to tie the game at nine. Rataczak stepped to the plate and drew a 3-2 count. On the 3-2 pitch Rataczak drove a pitch to center field that resulted in him notching an inside the park home run as he beat the throw to home plate to give Niagara a 10-9 lead.
The Purple Eagles added three runs in the top of the eighth. Monile opened the inning with a single and then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Corl then singled Monile home on a 1-2 pitch. After a pitching change, Vincent Mauro drew a walk to put runners on first and second. With no outs, Ward laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Kozar then drove a 3-1 pitch to center field that brought home Corl home on a sacrifice fly to make it 12-9. Five pitches later, Nick Groves singled to center field to bring Mauro home from second base.
Niagara kept Towson off the board in the final two innings to secure the win.
Niagara Notes
· Liam Reynolds went 3.0 innings out of the bullpen while allowing two runs on a one hit. He notched a pair of strikeouts while also getting four flyouts and three groundouts.
· Zach Cameron pitched the final 3.1 innings as he picked up his third win of the season. He allowed just two hits while striking out two batters.
· Desjardins is the second Purple Eagle to hit two homers in a game this season. He joins Tommy Takayoshi as the only two Purple Eagles to hit two homers in a game this season.
· Desjardins entered the season with just two career home runs, this season he has already hit four homers and is tied for the team lead with Rataczak who hit his fourth homer of the season on Sunday.
· Desjardins had three hits while Groves and Rataczak each had two hits.
· Niagara drew 12 walks in the game which sets a new season high for the Purple Eagles. They have drawn double digit walks in two games this season.
· Niagara had 11 hits in the game, it is the 12th time this season Niagara has had 10 or more hits, they are 9-3 in those games.
· Niagara enters MAAC play with the best record of all MAAC teams. Niagara has 12 non-conference wins while the next best teams have just six non-conference wins.
· The Purple Eagles lead the MAAC in hitting with a .305 team batting average.
· Niagara also has the best ERA in the MAAC this season as they have a team ERA of 5.37.
· Niagara's 154 runs are the most in the MAAC while they are averaging 8.11 runs per game.
· Niagara has already matched their most non-conference wins since 2017 when they went 24-24 overall along with a 12-12 MAAC record.
Up Next
The Purple Eagles open MAAC play at Bobo Field on Friday with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 pm.
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