Purple Eagles' Barnstorming Tour Continues With Double-Header Sweep of Coppin State
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Jason Cramer
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BALTIMORE, Md. - The Niagara baseball team (4-1) continued its offensive outburst in a double-header sweep of Coppin State on Monday, scoring 39 runs in the pair of wins. The Purple Eagles won the first game 24-2 in just five innings before a 15-7 victory gave the team its best start under head coach Chris Chernisky.
"I am very pleased with how [Monday] went as well as how the five games this weekend turned out," Chernisky said. "There are still some things that we need to work out, but once we get our entire game together, I am confident in the things that the program can do this year."
Niagara 24, Coppin State 2
Niagara needed just five innings to score 24 runs on 17 hits in game one, as the 10-run rule ended the game early. Seniors Andrew Macdonald (Charlottetown, P.E.I.) and Tim Alberts (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) gave the Purple Eagles a 7-0 lead in the second inning on back-to-back home runs. Macdonald's was a grand slam to right center, while Alberts connected on a fastball and sent it to left center. The classmates combined to go 6-for-8 with seven runs and nine RBIs.
Sophomore Jason Cramer (Jackson, N.J.) went 2-for-3 with four runs scored and three RBIs, while designated hitter Steve Baldinelli (Niagara Falls, Ont.) went 2-for-5 with four RBIs. Harrison Harber (Kanata, Ont.) and Jonathan Smith (Niagara Falls, N.Y.) each had a pair of hits in the win.
Junior Michael Kellar (Colifax, Ill.) earned his first win on the mound, going the distance, allowing two runs on six hits.
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Tim Alberts
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Niagara 15, Coppin State 7
The seventh inning was the monster inning for the Purple Eagle offense in game two, as NU scored six insurance runs on four hits to secure the victory.
Cramer went 4-for-6 with six RBIs, and Baldinelli knocked in four more with a 4-for-5 performance, propelling the Purple Eagles to a 4-1 start. Alberts went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and a pair of intentional walks in the win.
With Niagara leading 9-7 in the bottom of the sixth inning, sophomore Geoff Strong (Welland, Ont.) was called upon to get the Purple Eagles out of a bases-loaded jam. The closer got three ground balls to end the inning and the threat. Brad Lueck (Port Colquitlam, B.C.) faced seven batters and gave up five runs, all unearned, in the sixth.
Despite the eight-run victory, Strong earned his first save of the season after retiring the side in order in the seventh. Sophomore Bill Rafferty (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) earned his first career win, allowing one hit over five innings while striking out three.
The Purple Eagles are back in action for three games at Wofford on March 8-9.
