OREM, Utah – Niagara University pounded out 18 hits and 12 runs on its way to handing Utah Valley University a 12-8 setback in midweek action on Tuesday evening at UCCU Ballpark.
Trailing 12-5 entering the last of the ninth, the Wolverines looked to stage a late comeback by scoring a trio runs but it wasn't enough as NU managed to hold on for the victory.
With the setback, the Wolverines (3-13) and Purple Eagles (2-12) split the quick two-game midweek set at a game apiece.
"We've just got to pitch better," head UVU coach
Eric Madsen said. "Hats off to Niagara, they came out swinging tonight. But we've got to be ready to go from beginning and be more poised on the mound."
The Purple Eagles of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference got off to a quick start by scoring four runs in the top of the first to take a 4-0 lead. After a pair of hits, NU then got on the board via an RBI groundout from Michael Gabrielle and promptly followed with an RBI single from Max Giordano to make it 2-0. With two outs and a runner on first, Niagara's Josh Marchese then snuck one down the leftfield line for a two-run home run to make it 4-0.
The Wolverines then didn't waste any time answering back, as they got two runs back in the last of the first to make it a 4-2 game. After back-to-back hits from
Trevor Howell and
Michael Beltran,
Drew Sims then plated the first run with an RBI single through the left side to bring home Howell.
Alexander Marco then followed with an RBI groundout to bring in Beltran and make it 4-2.
Niagara then got both runs back in the second inning to regain its four-run lead at 6-2. The first run of the frame came home on a balk call, while the second run was driven in on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Benny Seranno. The Purple Eagles then made it 8-2 in the third with the second two-run homer in the early innings off the bat of Marchese.
The game remained 8-2 until the bottom of the fifth when the Wolverines managed to piece together a two-out rally to make it 8-3. Following a two-out double from
Paul Estrada, Sims then reached on an infield single and Estrada came around to score on a throwing error.
In the sixth, Niagara's Dawson Bailey managed to connect on a two-out solo home run and NU later added two more runs in the frame on RBI doubles from Peter Battaglia and Michael Gabriele to make it 11-3.
Following a leadoff walk from Beltran in the bottom of the seventh,
Paul Estrada then belted out a two-run homer to straight away centerfield to make it a 5-3 ballgame. Estrada's round tripper is the first of the season for the senior and the third of his career.
The Purple Eagles then tacked on an insurance run in the eighth, but UVU countered with a late surge with three runs in the bottom of the ninth to make things interesting. After a Howell walk and a Beltran double, Estrada delivered a clutch hit with a two-run double to left center to make it 12-7. With Estrada later on third, he was then brought home on the second balk of the game to make it 12-8. Later with runners on the corners and two away, reliever Alex MacKinnon managed to draw a deep flyout off the bat of
Kade Poulsen to seal the victory for the Purple Eagles.
Tommy Bednarski (1-0) earned the win for NU after giving up just earned runs on six hits in 5.0 innings of work, while MacKinnon came on to earn his first save of the season after recording the final two outs of the ballgame.
Matt Dalke drops to 1-1 on the year for the Wolverines after surrendering six runs on seven hits in an inning and a third.
Estrada led UVU at the plate with a three-hit day by going 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs scored and four runs batted in. Beltran, Sims and Marco also had multiple-hit outings for UVU. Bailey led Niagara in the game by going 4-for 6 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Marchese went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBIs and two runs scored.
The contest marked UVU's fifth game over the past four days and Niagara's fourth game over the past two. The Purple Eagles also faced Utah on Monday afternoon as well as BYU earlier on the day during its current Utah swing.
The Wolverines will continue the homestand by welcoming No. 22 UC Irvine to town for a three-game non-conference series this weekend (March 15-17). UVU and UCI will open the series on Friday at 6 p.m. MT. Following the set, the Wolverines will then cap the homestand with a UCCU Crosstown Clash against neighboring rival BYU on Tuesday, March 19.
