Gravelle blasts two home runs against Hudson Valley, Thunderwolves advance to Region III championship game Saturday
*** PHOTO CREDIT: GEOFF SCHNEIDER (GMSPHOTOWNY) ***
One win away.
No. 1 SUNY Niagara moved one step closer to a return to the World Series as it defeated No. 2 Hudson Valley, 8-0, in seven innings, at the NJCAA Region III Final Four Friday in Auburn. This marked the second of three days in the double-elimination tournament for the Thunderwolves, which are looking for their 10th regional crown in the Matt Clingersmith era (since 2007).
Ranked second in the final regular-season NJCAA Div. III national ranking Monday, SUNY Niagara improved to 50-5 and will face a to-be-determined opponent for the regional title at Noon Saturday. A loss in the first game would result in a second and deciding game at 3:30 p.m.
The Thunderwolves have now posted consecutive 50-win seasons for the first time in program history. Last season, SUNY Niagara finished with a program-best 51-2 record and appeared in the final four of the World Series.
A resident of Smithville, Ont. and a former Division I Toledo product, Gravelle went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, drove in a career-high five runs, scored twice and recorded his second and third home runs of the season. This marked Gravelle’s first game as a Thunderwolf with a home run since the season opener at Cayuga Community College on Feb. 28.
Classmate and Penn State commit Dalton Harper went 2-for-3, scored a run and drove in two runs on a two-run home run. This marked the Cheektowaga resident's team-leading 15th home run of the season and the 18th of his SUNY Niagara career, trailing only 2025 graduate Gavyn Boyle’s 19 for the most in the modern era (since 2007).
Cooper Prizel recorded a hit and scored twice. Cooper Rossano, Jonah Moscato and Luke Gigliotti scored a run each as SUNY Niagara recorded eight runs on seven hits.
On the mound, sophomore and George Mason commit Keegan Bazinet threw a five-hitter through seven innings, struck out six and improved to 11-0 this season. In SUNY Niagara’s modern era (since 2007), Bazinet is tied with 2010 graduate Paul McKenna and 2025 graduate Aidan Paul for the sixth most career wins with 12 and passed 2018 graduate Cam Voss for eighth in strikeouts with 109.
Friday’s contest was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when SUNY Niagara recorded three runs on two home runs. On the second pitch of his at-bat, sophomore Gravelle recorded a solo home run and Harper drilled a two-run home run two at-bats later (3-0 SUNY).
In the bottom of the sixth, Gravelle recorded a three-run home run and brought home Prizel and Gigliotti. SUNY Niagara entered the seventh with a 6-0 lead.
The Thunderwolves then enforced the eight-run lead after seven-inning rule with their final two runs. Moscato pinch-ran and stole home (7-0 SUNY), and Gravelle delivered Prizel on the game-clinching one-run single (8-0 SUNY).
SUNY Niagara is now 13-5 when it doesn’t score at least 10 runs in a contest and 37-0 when it reaches the total. This marked SUNY Niagara’s first win with less than 10 runs scored since a 7-1 victory versus Genesee Community College on April 27.
With the win Friday, SUNY Niagara extended its regional tournament record to 39-9 and 403-78 (.838) overall since 2017. The Thunderwolves are also 24-2 since April 8.