T’Wolves sweep Tompkins Cortland Community College Thursday, now 18-1 in last 19 games

*** PHOTO COURTESY OF GEOFF SCHNEIDER ***

SUNY Niagara added two more wins to its season total as it swept Tompkins Cortland Community College Thursday at Sal Maglie Stadium. The Thunderwolves won the first contest against the Panthers in seven innings, 11-2, and then took the second game in five innings, 14-4. 

Ranked third in the NJCAA Div. III rankings for a fifth consecutive week Monday, SUNY Niagara is now 29-3 overall and remain at the top of the NJCAA Region III West standings at 9-0. Including a nine-inning 15-4 win against the Ontario Terriers Wednesday, the Thunderwolves have won 18 of their last 19 contests dating back to a 12-0 win versus Team Ontario Black on March 12 at the RussMatt Inviational in Florida. 

Over the last 10 seasons (since 2017), SUNY Niagara is now 382-76 overall (.834). The Thunderwolves are also 40-1 at Sal Maglie Stadium in the last three seasons and have won 33 straight following a 4-0 loss to Erie Community College on April 15, 2024. 

SUNY Niagara continues its NJCAA Region III slate and resumes WNYAC action with a four-game series against Jamestown Community College Saturday and Sunday. The Thunderwolves travel to Diethrick Park for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday in Jamestown. The final two games of the series begin at 2 p.m. Sunday at Sal Maglie Stadium and air on WLVL.com.  

Game One: SUNY Niagara 11, Tompkins Cortland Community College 2, Final, 7 innings

The Thunderwolves broke a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third as Dalton Harper brought home Cam Gravelle on a two-run home run to left centerfield. (3-1 SUNY Niagara). Evan Kohr brought home Derrick Allen in the following inning with a one-run triple, his first ever three-base hit with the Thunderwolves (4-1 SUNY Niagara).

The Panthers cut the deficit in half in the top of the fifth before the Thunderwolves added three more in the bottom half (7-2 SUNY Niagara). Mike Schaefer brought home Dalton Harper on a one-run single and Cam Gruarin recorded a two-run inside-the-park home run.

The Thunderwolves then scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth and extended their lead to 11-2. Cam Gravelle and Cooper Prizel recorded a one-run double each and Harper had a one-run single during the frame. 

Harper went 4-for-4, drove in three runs and scored another three. Kohr and Prizel had two hits each and drove in one run apiece.

Gravelle, Schaefer, Gruarin, Jonah Moscato and Luke Gigliotti had one hit each. The Thunderwolves finished with 11 runs on 13 hits. 

In what was his ninth career start, Liam Hadfield moved to 3-0 this season in his seven-inning outing and threw 115 pitches. Hadfield allowed two runs on five hits and posted a season-high 10 strikeouts, one shy of his career-high (11 versus Corning Community College, April 3, 2025). 

Game Two: SUNY Niagara 14, Tompkins Cortland Community College 4, Final, 5 innings

Dalton Harper recorded his second home run of the two-game series with a solo shot and gave SUNY Niagara a 1-0 lead after the first. This was Harper’s team-leading eighth home run of the season and the 11th in his career, tied for the fourth most in the Matt Clingersmith era (since 2007). 

The Thunderwolves then tacked on five runs in the second and five more in the third and had an 11-1 lead. In the second, SUNY Niagara got the bases loaded before Cam Gruarin and Cam Gravelle recorded RBI walks, and Evan Kohr had a two-run single as part of the sequence.

In the third, Gruarin had a two-run triple that brought Luke Rybczynski and Shacory Williams around the bases (8-0 SUNY Niagara). Jacob Hudson then brought home Gruarin home in the next at-bat (9-0 SUNY Niagara).

Gravelle then recorded his team-leading 51st hit of the season with a one-run double (10-0 SUNY Niagara). Mike Schaefer had a one-run double to end the scoring in the frame (11-0 SUNY Niagara).

Gruarin then recorded his first career home run in the bottom of the fourth (12-1 SUNY Niagara). The Thunderwolves then added two more runs and clinched the game thanks to a two-run double from Christopher Snusz.

In his first start since against Alexandria Tech March 12 in Florida, Matt Kasprowicz threw four innings, allowed one run on five hits and struck out five on 65 pitches. Jackson Sheehy came in relief and allowed three runs on three walks.

Brady Case then recorded all three outs in the top of the fifth. On 17 pitches, Case recorded three strikeouts and allowed only one hit.