April 8, 2006
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y.-After going 1-4 vs. Marist last season, which included two defeats in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament, the Niagara University baseball team put that behind it when it swept the Red Foxes in a home doubleheader Saturday, 4-1 and 7-4. The Purple Eagles have now won four-straight home openers, and move back over the .500 mark for the first time since Feb. 20 with a 14-13 record. The two victories also keep them near the top of the conference with a 6-2 MAAC record. Marist dropped to 9-17 overall and 4-4 in the MAAC.
Senior closer Tyler Addison became Niagara's single-season record holder in saves by picking his fifth and sixth of the year Saturday. Meanwhile, junior Josh Sawatzky took sole possession of first all-time for the Purple Eagles, winning his 17th career game, and senior Mike Radanovic went seven innings and struck out seven for the day's first triumph.
After Radanovic (4-1) shut down the Red Foxes in the first inning of game one, Dan Parsons led off Niagara's half with a double to left against Marist's Jonathan Smith (1-4, Woonsocket, R.I.). Macdonald immediately made it a 1-0 with an RBI single that took a funny hop over at first base and into right field. Senior Mike Medici led off the fourth the same way, blasting a double to right center. Following a ground out, senior Andrew MacNevin plated Medici with a sacrifice fly to right. The lead increased to 3-0 an inning later when senior Jeff Vincent posted an RBI single to score Andrew Macdonald from third. However, the Purple Eagles left the bases loaded in both the fourth and fifth frames.
Marist tried to answer in the sixth, getting a run on solo blast off the bat of designated hitter Justin Lepore (Madison, Conn.), his seventh of the season. Sophomore Chris Leendertse got the run back by driving in Vincent by way of a fielder's choice. That was when Addison came on and shut the door over the final two innings to seal the 4-1 win.
In the seven-inning second affair, Marist starter George Heath (2-3, Henrietta, N.Y.) retired the first six Niagara batters before falling victim to its strong lineup in the third. With one down and junior Brian Clifford at first, senior Paul Solini got aboard as well when Marist second baseman Travis Musolf (Manchester, N.J.) threw the ball away on a potential force out at second. Parsons loaded them up with a single to center, setting up Macdonald's lazer shot off the top of the right-field wall, clearing the bases. A single from MacNevin advanced Parsons to third and he later scored on a sacrifice fly from Medici, giving Niagara a 4-0 advantage.
Three errors in the top of the fourth brought Marist right back into it to make it 4-4. Freshman center fielder Max Most (Port Washington, N.Y.) provided the first run on an RBI single against Sawatzky (5-3), the second came on a groundout and the final two runs were tallied on a error in center by Vincent, who seemed to have trouble judging the sun and the wind. Niagara, though, came right back with three in its half of the fourth, ultimately eliminating any comeback. Vincent made up for the error with a single to center, stole second and got to third on an error off the bat of Leendertse. Marist's Josh Rickards (Glenolden, Pa.) then took the mound and gave up an RBI single to Solini and a two-run single to Parsons.
Addison did face the tying runner at the plate in the bottom of the seventh, but struck out Lepore looking for his sixth save.
Niagara and Marist conclude the series with a single game Sunday at noon at Sal Maglie Stadium.
