POMONA, NY (May 20, 2025) – The 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Baseball Championship began on Tuesday, May 20 at Clover Stadium in Pomona, NY with a pair of first round single elimination games. No. 5 Quinnipiac University and No. 7 Marist University earned wins on Tuesday, advancing to the double elimination portion of the championship.
No. 5 Quinnipiac, 10 | No. 8 Niagara, 5
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
No. 5 Quinnipiac handled No. 8 Niagara 10-5 in the championship’s first game. Quinnipiac flew out to an 8-0 lead through the game’s first six innings, highlighted by a six-run rally in the fifth. The Bobcats struck first in the bottom of the second, when Al Irizarry sent a solo blast over the right field Short Porch. Cole Constable’s RBI double to center field in the fourth, extended Quinnipiac’s lead to 2-0. After the Bobcats added a pair of runs by way of fielding errors from the Purple Eagle’s infield, Chris Smith stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and sent a bomb over the left field fence for a grand slam, pushing the scoreline to 8-0. The defending champions, Niagara, did not go away quietly, putting together a five-run rally in the top of the seventh. The scoring rally began with a sacrifice fly by Curtis McKay, which sent Tyler ViVacqua home to erase the shutout. Back-to-back RBI singles by Jason Green and Jacob Brooks, cut the score to 8-3. The final two runs were unearned, when a fielding error allowed both Green and Brooks to reach home. A pair of insurance runs capped off the day for Quinnipiac, with solo homers from Sebastian Mueller (7
th) and Kyle Garbowski (8
th) to seal the deal.
Quinnipiac Notes and Notables
- All nine starters got on base at least once in the win, highlighted by two hits apiece from a quartet of Bobcats.
- Mueller (2-for-3), Garbowski (2-for-4), Smith (2-for-4), and Sean McCulloch (2-for-5) led Quinnipiac with a pair of hits.
- Smith was the team leader in RBIs with four coming from his grand slam.
- In addition to Garbowski and Mueller, Alex Irizarry and Johnny Knox all scored two runs each.
- Cole Constable (1-for-4) and CJ Willis (1-for-5) both recorded doubles as their lone hits.
- Starting pitcher, Nick Balcom (3-3) picked up the decision after pitching 5.0 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out five while allowing four hits.
- This was the second time in four meetings this season that the Bobcats scored 10 or more runs against the Purple Eagles.
- It was also the fourth win of the season for Quinnipiac over Niagara after sweeping the three-game regular season series.
- The Bobcats advance to the next round and will face No. 4 Siena College at 2:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
Niagara Notes and Notables
- Five Purple Eagles had a multi-hit afternoon led by Green’s 4-for-5 stat line.
- Green also scored one run and had one RBI.
- ViVacqua went 3-for-4 at the plate, with a run, double and walk.
- Brooks (2-for-5), Vincent Mauro (2-for-5), and Rees Kozar (2-for-6) each logged two hits and scored one run, while Brooks also had an RBI.
- The Purple Eagles had 15 hits, four more than the Bobcats but left 14 baserunners stranded.
- Right handed starting pitcher Matthew DelVecchio (6-7) was the losing pitcher, after tossing 4.1 innings in which he allowed seven runs (three earned), striking out one and giving up seven hits and a home run.
No. 7 Marist, 12 | No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s, 3
Clover Stadium | POMONA, NY
Box Score
In the second game of the first day, No. 7 Marist toppled No. 6 Mount St. Mary’s, 12-3. After the Mount scored a run in the opening frame, Marist outscored the Mount 11-1 over the next seven innings, taking a commanding 11-2 lead into the ninth. Leading 4-2 going into the seventh, the Red Foxes put up a four spot during the inning. Noel Rivera hit a two RBI single to center field for the first two runs, pushing the lead to 6-2. Hitting an RBI single that scored Rivera was Claiborn, then AJ Brotz stole home after a throwing error, extending the advantage to 8-2. Marist kept its foot on the gas, adding three more runs in the eighth. Brotz singled to center field, for two RBIs to lead the way in the frame. Both teams added one run each in the ninth to close out the contest.
Marist Notes and Notables
- Lewis Rodriguez reached base four times (4-for-6), picking up a pair of singles, a double and a triple, coming up a home run-shy of the cycle.
- Rodriguez was the team leader in runs, crossing home three times.
- Jason Claiborn (2-for-3) also got on four times and was tied for the team lead with three RBIs while being walked twice.
- Rivera (2-for-4) matched Claiborn’s three RBIs, scored a run, and had a sacrifice bunt in the win.
- Brotz (1-for-4) accounted for four runs, batting in two and scoring two.
- Scott Esposito (1-for-3) batted in a pair of runs and scored a run.
- Getting the starting nod and victory was Will Taylor (5-4), who pitched 5.2 innings, with three strike outs, five hits and two earned runs
- Ethan Marzo pitched the final 3.1 innings to earn his third save of the season.
- Marist resumes play tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. and will take on No. 3 Sacred Heart.
Mount St. Mary’s Notes and Notables
- The Mount St. Mary’s duo of Ty Fredo and Kyle Cincinnati each went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead the unit.
- Fedo connected on the lone home run in the game, logging a run scored and an RBI.
- Cincinnati also had an RBI along with Nolan Book.
- Pinch hitter Logan Yi scored the final run for the Mount in the game.
- Left handed starter, Serigne Sarre (5-6) tossed 4.1 innings, striking out four, giving up four hits, and allowing four runs.
For all information regarding the 2025 MAAC Baseball Championship, please visit
maacsports.com/baseball.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 44th year of competition during the 2024-25 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.
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