JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Saint Peter's baseball team dropped two tight conference games to Niagara on Friday at Jaroschak Field. The Peacocks fell by just two runs, 9-11, in the first game and four runs, 8-12, in the second game.
Despite the results, the Peacocks (4-35, 0-20 MAAC) had a great day in the batter's box, combining for 24 total hits. The Purple Eagles (18-15-1, 14-6 MAAC) managed to come from behind in both games to win seven of their last eight games.
RJ Azarieh and
Bobby Lavely were the two Peacocks to hit a homer, as Azarieh went yard in the first game and Lavely in the next. It was
Louis D'Alessio who led the team with three hits in game one of the doubleheader before Lavely led Saint Peter's with three hits in the second game.
The Peacocks showed glimpses of dominance, but in the end, Niagara always seemed to find an answer. Saint Peter's looks to finish strong in the final game of the series on Sunday.
HOW IT HAPPENED
GAME ONE: The Purple Eagles erupted for four runs in the top of the first to take an early advantage over the Peacocks. Saint Peter's stayed strong and answered with five runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. The Peacocks batted around the order as they racked up six hits, highlighted by a two-run homer by Azarieh.
Saint Peter's extended its lead to 7-4 in the second inning.
Steve Polizzi got things going with a double to left field before
Chase Fogg sent
Joey Dwyer home with a sac fly. Polizzi then crossed home plate due to a balk.
Later on, after the Niagara head coach was tossed from the game, the Purple Eagles scored five unanswered runs through the sixth and seventh innings to regain their lead 9-7. The Peacocks wasted no time responding to the Niagara run, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh to tie things up.
Max Doninger made it to first on a fielder's choice while
Ryan D'Ambrosio went home, and then D'Alessio followed it up with an RBI, making it 9-9.
The Purple Eagles managed an RBI single in the eighth inning to go up by one run. The Peacocks then cycled through the next three batters to get out of the inning. Despite the quick turnaround, Saint Peter's didn't record any runs in the bottom half of the inning. Niagara added one more run in the ninth to win the first game, 11-9.
GAME TWO: The bats were hot to start the second game of the doubleheader as the Peacocks rattled off five runs in the bottom of the first. All the runs came in with two outs on the board, and the fast start was highlighted by a two-RBI double by
Luke Schwartz.
Niagara's first batter leading off the second inning homered, but the Peacocks responded in the bottom half with a sac fly by Lavely. The Purple Eagles made things interesting in the fourth inning, scoring three runs to make it 6-4. Lavely went yard in the bottom of the fourth for a quick answer, which gave Saint Peter's a three-run cushion.
With
James Ellis on the mound, the Peacocks forced the Purple Eagles into three flyouts to quickly head to the bottom of the fifth.
Allen Ramos hit an RBI single to make it 8-4.
Over the next two innings, Niagara managed five unanswered runs to regain the lead, 9-8. Saint Peter's was unable to keep up with the Purple Eagles down the stretch, ultimately falling by a score of 8-12.
UP NEXT
The Peacocks are scheduled to play the third and final game of the series against the Purple Eagles on Sunday at noon.
