CHAMPIONSHIP BOUND: Thunderwolves rally again, Czaja throws gem in relief in semifinal win Tuesday
*** PHOTO CREDIT: SUNY NIAGARA ATHLETICS ***
One step closer to a national title.
A combination of a four-run fifth inning to erase a 4-2 deficit and a career outing from sophomore reliever Joe Czaja led to No. 3 SUNY Niagara’s 6-5 victory against top-seeded Dallas College Eastfield in the championship semifinal of the NJCAA Div. III World Series at TVA Credit Union Ballpark in Johnson City, Tennessee. This contest was originally scheduled for Monday evening, but was postponed due to inclement weather conditions in the region.
For the fourth time in program history and the first since 2021, SUNY Niagara advances to the NJCAA Div. III World Series championship game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at TVA Credit Union Ballpark (will air exclusively on the NJCAA Network). An if necessary second championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday.
Making its 10th all-time appearance at the World Series dating back to 2009, the Thunderwolves are now 54-6 — a new single-season record in wins — and 3-4 in games decided by one run. The previous record was last year’s 51-2 team, which placed fourth at the World Series.
Its first win against Dallas College Eastfield and third all-time meeting in program history, SUNY Niagara improves to 22-18 all-time in the NJCAA Div. III World Series and 93-38 (.710) in the postseason overall since 2008, Matt Clingersmith’s second season. The Thunderwolves are also 407-79 (.837) over the last 10 seasons since 2017.
In his ninth appearance this season and 12th of his career, Czaja threw a career-high 8.2 innings, allowing only one run on three hits and posting a season-high eight strikeouts on 107 pitches (71 strikes). The Clarence resident and Keystone College commit shattered his previous high of 3.2 innings with six strikeouts (Herkimer on May 16) and earned the win out of the bullpen versus Rowan College South Jersey - Gloucester on Sunday at the World Series.
Sophomore and Penn State commit Dalton Harper recorded his third three-hit game of the postseason — including two doubles – drove in a run (129th of career) and scored once. In his 107th career game, Harper also posted his seventh multi-hit game of the postseason, including the 100th hit of his sophomore campaign in the first inning (now with 169 in career).
Teammate and classmate Mike Schaefer also went 3-for-5 at the plate and drove in two runs. The Southern Indiana commit has now had at least two hits in each of his last five postseason games, four three-hit games in the postseason, and has tallied 125 career RBI in 108 games.
Sophomore and Smithville, Ont. resident Cam Gravelle went 2-for-5 at the plate and scored a run. His fourth multi-hit postseason outing and his 26th of the season, Gravelle also recorded his 29th stolen base, needing one more to become the 12th Thunderwolf with at least 30 swipes in a career since 2017.
Freshman and Niagara Wheatfield graduate Cameron Gruarin recorded his fifth multi-hit game of the postseason — and his third in as many games — with another 2-for-4 outing along with a run scored and a RBI. Gruarin recorded his 45th RBI of the season — the fourth-highest on the team — and has driven a run in each of his last five postseason games.
Sophomore and Lenoir-Rhyne commit Cooper Rossano recorded a hit, scored a run and posted his sixth RBI of the postseason. Rossano now has 109 career runs batted, which is fourth all-time in SUNY Niagara’s modern era.
Sophomore and St. John Fisher commit Cooper Prizel had a hit and drove in a run. Classmates Evan Kohr (Arkansas Tech commit) and Luke Giglioitti (Milligan University) both had a hit and crossed home plate once, and freshman Alexander Graham had a hit.
Luke Liedka recorded his fifth start of the season for the Thunderwolves. The freshman and Syracuse resident allowed four runs on three hits and walked two and only recorded one out on 25 pitches (11 strikes) before Czaja came out of the bull-pen.
For a third straight game at this year’s World Series, SUNY Niagara scored first. After Harper recorded a double — his 100th hit of the season — Schaefer brought him home on a one-run single (1-0 SUNY Niagara).
The Harvester Bees scored four unanswered in the bottom of the first for a 4-1 lead. A sacrifice fly, a two-home run and a one-run single caused the early deficit.
The Thunderwolves cut the deficit in half in the top of the second. Prizel delivered Gruarin on a one-run single (4-2 Dallas College Eastfield).
The score remained 4-2 Dallas College Eastfield until SUNY Niagara’s bats came to life with four runs on five hits, starting with Gigliotti’s single and Gravelle’s double. Rossano’s RBI single and consecutive one-run infield ground-outs by Harper and Schaefer gave the Thunderwolves a 5-4 lead.
Kohr continued and scored on Gruarin’s one-run double, the final run of the frame. Midway through the fifth, SUNY Niagara led 6-4, before Dallas College Eastfield got a run back on a sacrifice fly-out (6-5 SUNY Niagara).
SUNY Niagara had a chance to extend its lead with one out in the top of the seventh. Harper’s double, Schaefer’s single and Kohr’s walk loaded the bases, but were left stranded after a strikeout and a fielder’s choice ground-out.
The Harvester Bees had what would become one last opportunity to score a run during the bottom of the seventh. With the tying run on first, a line drive to left field sent the base-runner around the bases, but was tagged out at home on a throw-out by Gravelle to Gruarin to Harper (7-6-2 throw-out).
SUNY Niagara recorded one more hit in the ninth on Harper’s single, while Czaja recorded the final six outs on 20 pitches.