Thunderwolves score eight unanswered, hold off RCSJ Gloucester and advance to Monday’s semifinals
*** PHOTO CREDIT: SUNY NIAGARA ATHLETICS ***
Like it has all season, SUNY Niagara used one big inning at the plate to swing the momentum in its favor. The No. 3 Thunderwolves defeated the second-seeded and reigning three-time national champion Rowan College of South Jersey - Gloucester, 9-7, during the second day of the NJCAA Div. III World Series Sunday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, Tennessee.
Trailing 5-2 in the top of the fourth, the Thunderwolves scored six runs on five hits and took a game-changing 8-5 lead. Making its 10th all-time appearance in the NJCAA Div. III World Series appearance since 2009, SUNY Niagara became the first team in this year’s tournament to win a game as the lower seed.
With the win, SUNY Niagara is 53-6 this season, continuing its new single-season total in victories. The previous record was last year’s 51-2 team, which placed fourth in the World Series.
SUNY Niagara now faces No. 1 Dallas-Eastfield or No. 4 Alexandria Tech in the championship semifinal at 7:15 p.m. Monday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark. The game will air exclusively on the NJCAA Network (subscription is required).
Sunday marked the Thunderwolves’ first meeting with RCSJ Gloucester since a 10-3 win in the NJCAA Div. III World Series semifinal on June 1, 2021 in Greeneville, Tennessee. The Thunderwolves are 6-3 all-time against the Roadrunners of Region XIX in the Matt Clingersmith era (all since 2012).
SUNY Niagara is 52-20 in the postseason, including 12-10 at the World Series, and 406-79 (.837) since 2017. This season, the Thunderwolves are now 14-6 when they don’t score at least 10 runs in a contest, compared to an unblemished 39-0 record when they do so.
Sophomore and Smithville, Ont. resident Cam Gravelle went a team-best 4-for-5 at the plate, scored three times, stole two bases and drove in one run. This marked Gravelle’s third multi-hit game in the postseason (25th of the season) and his first four-hit game since SUNY Niagara’s Region III semifinal win versus Hudson Valley on May 15 (fourth of the season).
Gravelle also recorded his 29th and 30th stolen bases of the season. The former Division I Toledo product is now the 12th Thunderwolf with at least 30 stolen bases in a career since 2017.
Sophomore and Penn State commit Dalton Harper drove in three runs on three hits, scored a run and had two doubles. Fresh off recording his program-breaking 20th career home run Saturday, Harper recorded his sixth multi-hit game of this postseason and extended his career marks in hits (166) and RBI (128) in 106 career games.
Freshman and Niagara Wheatfield graduate Cameron Gruarin recorded his fourth multi-hit game of the postseason — and his second in as many games — going 2-for-4, driving in a run and stealing a base. Gruarin recorded his 44th RBI of the season — the fourth-highest on the team — and has driven a run in each of his last four postseason games.
Freshman and Toronto, Ont. resident Alexander Graham went 2-for-4 and drove in a run. Sophomore and Southern Indiana commit Mike Schaefer also had a two-hit game after driving in two runs on a go-ahead two-run home run in the third (7-5 SUNY Niagara), his third career postseason long ball.
Sophomore and Arkansas Tech commit Evan Kohr had one hit and scored twice, while classmate and St. John Fisher commit Cooper Prizel had a hit and scored once. Sophomore and Lenoir-Rhyne commit Cooper Rossano recorded an RBI, the 108th of his career (fourth all-time in SUNY Niagara’s modern era.
Derrick Allen threw 7.1 innings in the start for the Thunderwolves, allowing a season-high seven runs on eight hits along with three strikeouts and three walks on 126 pitches (68 strikes). The freshman and Rochester resident was credited with the no-decision, but his 7.1 innings on the hill marked a new personal best.
In just his eighth outing of the season and 11th in his career, Joe Czaja recorded his second win of the season out of the bullpen. The sophomore and NCAA Division III Keystone College commit recorded one out and walked two on 23 pitches (13 strikes).
Sophomore and NCAA Division II West Chester commit Cooper Polcovich then made his second appearance of the World Series, recording the final four outs — including a strikeout — on nine pitches (six strikes). In Johnson City, Polcovich has recorded 10 outs without allowing a hit and three strikeouts on 31 pitches (25 strikes) and has posted 29 strikeouts in 22.1 innings this season.
After a scoreless first inning, SUNY Niagara struck first in the top of the second for a 1-0 lead, thanks to Graham’s one-run single, which scored Kohr from third. The Roadrunners then scored five unanswered runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame — including a two-run triple and a one-run double with two outs — for a 5-1 lead.
SUNY Niagara cut the deficit to three runs in the top of the third. A Gravelle lead-off single led to Harper’s one-run single two batters later (5-2 RCSJ Gloucester).
The Thunderwolves then scored six runs on five hits in the fourth, taking an 8-5 lead. Gravelle brought home Graham on a one-run single, Harper posted a bases-clearing two-run double to tie the game at 5-5, Schaefer had the go-ahead two-run home run and Gruarin added a one-run single.
The game was halted for over an hour due to a weather delay. The scoring continued in the top of the eighth when Gravelle scored from third on Rossano’s sacrifice fly (9-5 SUNY Niagara).
After going scoreless for six innings, RCSJ Gloucester scored the final two runs of the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Roadrunners recorded a fielder’s choice and then scored again on a wild pitch (9-7 SUNY Niagara).