April 9, 2006
Final Stats
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - It was a wild ride for the Niagara University baseball team Sunday at Sal Maglie Stadium. After letting a six-run lead go to waste against Marist, sophomore Andrew Macdonald won it in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out RBI single to drive in senior Matt Schaefer for the 7-6 victory. The Purple Eagles improved to 11-3 in their last 14 games, which included the three-game sweep over the Red Foxes, and moved their overall record to 15-13. Marist dropped to 9-18 overall and 4-5 in league play.
Senior Jeff Vincent belted out three hits on the day, while Macdonald and senior Dan Parsons delivered with two hits each. Niagara starter sophomore right-hander Mark Wilson went 4.1 innings, giving up four runs and striking out one. Tyler Addison went to 4-0 on the year by working the final 2.2 innings.
Parsons managed to leadoff Niagara's first inning with a single, marking the fourth time in the last six games that he reached base in the very first frame. A walk to Macdonald and a single from Vincent loaded them up for senior Mike Medici, where he crushed a 1-1 pitch from Marist starter Tom Close to the front of the fence in left-center to clear the bases. Medici traveled to third on a sacrifice bunt and he scored on an RBI groundout from sophomore Chris Leendertse. The outburst was capped off when sophomore Tim Alberts doubled down the left-field line and scored when senior Paul Solini smacked a 1-2 pitch for a single to center.
Niagara took a 6-0 lead in the second when Vincent singled in Macdonald, who recorded a one-out double to center just seconds beforehand. Macdonald was at it again in the third, only this time it was at shortstop. Junior right fielder Travis Musolf (Manchester, N.J.) sent the first pitch of the inning over Macdonald's head, destined for left field. However, Macdonald sprinted after it and made the diving snag to keep Marist from attacking in the frame. The fourth, though, was when the Red Foxes went to work, amassing five straight singles to make it 6-2 on a Musolf single to right. It could have been worse for Niagara but left fielder Schaefer threw out senior first baseman Kevin Grauer (Plain City, Ohio) on the first hit as he tried to stretch it into a double.
Senior catcher Bryan Towler (Hampton, N.H.) moved it to 6-4 with a two-run single in the fifth. Marist added one in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from senior shortstop Andy Kiriakedes (Great Barrington, Mass.), then tied it in the eighth thanks to a two-out RBI single by redshirt junior left fielder Adam Pernasilici (Tecumseh, Ontario) on a 3-2 pitch.
The Red Foxes' comeback was ruined in the ninth. Junior closer Robert Ryan (Roslindale, Mass.) gave up a leadoff walk to Schaefer, and Parsons advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt. That set up Macdonald's game-winning RBI single as he sent the first pitch he saw safely into right field.
Marist will face Albany at home on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
