April 16, 2008

Final Stats

Contact: Greg Murphy

NIAGARA, N.Y. - Niagara scored seven runs over the fifth and sixth innings to claim a 12-5 win over Cleveland State in nonleague baseball action on Wednesday afternoon at Sal Maglie Stadium.

CSU, which lost for the third straight game, fell to 12-16, while the Purple Eagles improved to 14-17.

"We took a step backwards today," head coach Kevin Kocks said. "There were not a lot of positives out there and it was a lackluster performance by everyone today. We were not focused from the time we got off the bus.

"This is the period of time when the grind starts to set in and we need to handle it better. This is where you determine if you are going to be a great team or an average team."

John Foco finished 3-for 4 with a run, while Josh Geric went 3-for-5 with a run and an RBI to lead the Viking offense which produced 11 hits.

CSU used four pitchers with starter Dylan Henry taking the loss and falling to 0-1 this season. He lasted three innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits.

Jeremy Hartman, Kyle McGuire and Drew Fronczek also pitched for the Vikings.

Niagara jumped on the board with two runs in the second inning as an Alex Kerins error allowed two runs to score.

Kerins came back to redeem himself at the plate in the third with a sacrifice fly to cut CSU's deficit to 2-1.

The teams traded runs in the fourth inning with Sam Clyde delivering an RBI single for CSU and Kerins hit his team-leading ninth homer of the season to lead off the fifth and slice the Niagara lead to 4-3.

However, the Purple Eagles responded in a big way with five runs in the fifth and two more in the sixth to extend their one-run lead to 11-3. Johnny Smith had a two-run single in the fifth, while Steve Baldinelli tallied a two-run homerun in the sixth.

The Vikings came back with two runs in the seventh on a solo homer by Geric and a sacrifice fly from Bobby Cash, but that would be as close as the Vikings would get.

Niagara's Michael Kellar improved to 2-2, scattering seven hits and two earned runs in five innings of work.

Harrison Harber finished 4-for-5 with a pair of runs, while Smith went 3-for-5 with two runs and two RBI. Chris Leendertse collected three hits and Clint Elkins drove in three.

CSU returns to action on Friday (April 19) afternoon when the Vikings host Tiffin for a 4:00 p.m. game at The Pipe Yard. CSU will then host league doubleheaders against Milwaukee (April 20) and Butler (April 21) this weekend. Both twinbills are slated for 1:00 p.m. at The Pipe Yard.