The New York University baseball team used an offensive explosion to capture Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader against Case Western Reserve University with a 13–9 win, then battled to a thrilling 19–19 tie in one of the most memorable games in program history.
NYU used clutch hitting and timely pitching to secure the opener.
The Violets came out swinging in the first inning on a three-run homer by
Nate Pallotta and continued their power surge throughout the game. Harrison
Blueweiss,
Nick Argenziano and
Kosta Mocklis each homered, as well.
NYU poured in four runs during a key sixth inning to pull ahead following two-RBI singles by
Argenziano and
Connor Roggero. The Violets added insurance in the eighth on
Mocklis' two-run home run and a sacrifice fly from
Bobby Kuenzler.
Cooper Paule improved to 3–1 on the season, earning the win with two strikeouts in relief.
In the second game, NYU exploded early with a solo homer from
Mocklis and a three-run blast by
Blueweiss in the second inning to take a quick 4–0 lead. But, the Spartans answered with 15 runs over the next four innings to storm ahead 15–6 by the bottom of the sixth.
But, NYU refused to back down. In the seventh, the Violets mounted a furious five-run rally fueled by an RBI single from
Argenziano, a hit-by-pitch RBI from Pallotta, and a sacrifice fly by
Mocklis. In the eighth,
CJ Franchini hit a three-run double to pull NYU within one while
Blueweiss delivered an unearned run to tie the game.
In the top of the ninth,
Mocklis doubled home two more to give the Violets a 19–17 lead. However, with two outs in the bottom half, Case tied the game again.
Then, due to fading light, the game was called shortly after—marking NYU's first tie since baseball returned as a varsity sport in 2015.
Franchini drove in six runs and Mocklis added four. NYU finished with 21 hits in the offensive shootout.
The Violets will look to build on Friday's performance when they face Case Western Reserve again on Saturday at 12:00pm in Cleveland, with the series set to conclude on Sunday.
