Ward, Cameron, Kozar, Richardson lead Niagara to Metro Atlantic title

Matt Ward (Mississauga, Ont.) earned tournament MVP as Niagara won the Metro Atlantic Conference to qualify for the NCAA championship. Ward had plenty of help from Zach Cameron (Hamilton, Ont.), Rees Kozar (Amherstburg, Ont.), Steven Hospital (Oakville, Ont.), Noah Richardson (Windsor, Ont.), Nick Groves (London, Ont.) and others. Photo: Niagara Athletics

May 26, 2024

Purple Eagles Capture First MAAC Championship With Win Over Fairfield

Pomona, N.Y.—The Niagara Purple Eagles won their first Metro Atlantic Conference championship in program history on Saturday afternoon with a 10-6 win over top-seeded Fairfield.

How it Happened

Both teams’ starting pitchers shut down the other team’s offences with three combined hits in three innings. Fairfield manufactured a run in the bottom of the third to take a 1-0 lead.

The Purple Eagles responded in the top of the fourth to tie the game. Gavin Schrader opened the inning with a single and was moved to third on a perfect hit-and-run play with Matt Ward (Mississauga, Ont.). After a pair of strikeouts, Rees Kozar (Amherstburg, Ont.) singled home Schrader from third to tie the game at one.

Niagara took its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs in the inning, Eric Rataczak singled to right field and moved to second on an error by the right fielder. On the next pitch, Schrader blasted a two-run homer to right center to give Niagara a 3-1 lead.

Neither team scored again until the seventh inning. In the bottom half of the frame, Fairfield scored five runs to take a 6-3 lead.

The lead was short-lived as the Purple Eagles responded in the top of the eighth inning. Vincent Mauro opened the inning with a double to left field. After a groundout, Kozar doubled home Mauro from second to make it a 6-4 game. Nick Monile was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Nick Groves (London, Ont.) moved the runners up with a groundout following a pitching change. Brady Desjardins stepped to the plate and singled home Kozar on a 1-0 pitch, Monile tied the game as he came home on an error.

With Desjardins on second, Rataczak worked a 3-2 count and Rataczak blasted his 16th homer of the season over the right field wall to give Niagara an 8-6 lead. After another pitching change, Schrader started a two-out rally with a single up the middle. Four pitches later, on a 1-2 pitch Ward hit his second homer of the MAAC Tournament to give Niagara a 10-6 lead.

RHP Zach Cameron (Hamilton, Ont.) came into the game in the bottom of the eight and set down five straight batters to secure the win for the Purple Eagles.

Niagara Notes

-With the win, Niagara captures its first MAAC championship. It is the second time in program history that Niagara played in the MAAC Championship Series, Niagara last played in the final in 2005.

-Blake MacMillan started on the mound for the Purple Eagles, he went 4 1/3 innings while allowing just one run on three hits while striking out four.

-Steven Hospital (Oakville, Ont.) made his 92nd career appearance for the Purple Eagles which set a new program record. He went 1 2/3 innings while allowing one run on one hit while striking out one.

-Noah Richardson (Windsor, Ont.) picked up his seventh win of the season as he pitched 1+ innings. He allowed one hit while striking out one batter.

-Cameron went two innings while not allowing a base runner. He entered the game in the eighth with no outs and a runner on first. On his first pitch of the outing, he induced a 5-4-3 double-play. He struck out one batter in the ninth and then a fly ball to centre. He closes out his final MAAC Tournament with three appearances, a 1.42 ERA, six strikeouts, and an opposing batting average of .105.

-Rataczak and Schrader both had three hits in the win. It was Rataczak’s 13th three-hit game of the season while it was Schrader’s seventh.

-Rataczak tied the program record for single season homers as he hit his 16th of the season.

-Ward went 2-for-4 on Saturday with two RBIs and a walk. In his final MAAC Tournament, he finished with a .700 average across three games with two home runs, five RBIs, four runs scored, two sacrifices, and three walks. He also had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate.

-Kozar and Desjardins each had two hits. Desjardins finished his last MAAC Tournament with a .533 batting average as he went 8-for-15 with three RBIs and four runs scored in the three games.

-Ward was named MAAC Championship MVP, Cameron, Desjardins, Kozar, and Ryan Minckler earned MAAC All-Championship honors.

-The Purple Eagles outhit Fairfield 13-6 in the win. Niagara has outhit its opponents in 36 games, Niagara is 30-6 in those games this season.

-Head Coach Rob McCoy notched his 299th career win with the win over Fairfield.

-In the MAAC Tournament, Niagara hit .355 with five starters hitting over .400. Niagara’s pitching staff limited hitters to a .216 average.

Up Next

Niagara earns the MAAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. It will be the first time in Niagara history that the Purple Eagles will compete in the NCAA Tournament. The Purple Eagles find out where they are heading for NCAA Regionals on Monday, May 27, at noon. The NCAA Selection Show will be televised on ESPN2