The Quinnipiac Bobcats defeated the Niagara Purple Eagles, 4-3, in the series finale on April 4 to avoid a sweep. With this win, Quinnipiac improved its record to 13-16 overall and 6-6 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play.
This result is important for the Bobcats as it breaks a losing streak against Niagara and helps them stay competitive within their conference standings.
Niagara scored first in the opening inning when Jacob Brooks crossed home plate on a groundout by Noah Konings. Quinnipiac responded in the second inning as Cole Constable reached base on an error, allowing Brendan Edvardsen to score and tie the game. The contest remained even until the fifth inning when Alex Irizarry hit a double down the right field line, bringing Christian Smith home for a 2-1 lead. Peyton Vancas followed with an RBI single before Constable drew a bases-loaded walk to extend Quinnipiac’s advantage to 4-1.
Niagara narrowed the gap with two runs in the eighth inning, but Matt Alduino closed out the game for his fourth save of the season. Sam Wright earned his second win after pitching seven innings and giving up only one run on four hits.
Seven different Bobcats registered hits during the game, with Jack Balcer going 2-for-3 at bat and scoring once. Balcer now holds a .315 batting average in his first season at Hamden. Vancas also went 2-for-4 with strong defensive plays and increased his season RBI total to eighteen. Irizarry contributed an important RBI double—his third of this campaign—while Smith has now recorded hits in twelve of his last thirteen games played. Caden Williamson extended his on-base streak to eighteen games by reaching base again.
Alduino lowered his earned run average (ERA) to 1.89 while reducing his walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) to just 0.84 after closing out two innings without allowing any runs.
Looking ahead, Quinnipiac will travel to Kingston, Rhode Island, on Wednesday, April 8th for their next matchup against URI Rams.
