Ironbacks Capitalize on Muckdogs Errors in 8-4 Victory
Written by Intern WBTA on July 20, 2026
By: Cam Crossett
The Batavia Muckdogs saw their grip on first place in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League West Division tighten Sunday afternoon after falling 8-4 to the visiting Niagara Ironbacks at Dwyer Stadium. Despite the loss, Batavia remains in first place, one game ahead of Jamestown with only a handful of regular-season games remaining.
Niagara wasted little time putting pressure on Batavia starter Gavin Chandler. The left-hander from Southern Wesleyan University entered the contest 4-1 and a 3.52 ERA, but the Ironbacks scratched across the game’s first run in the opening inning on Connor Gaiten’s sacrifice fly for a early 1-0 lead.
The score stayed within reach until the fifth inning when Niagara capitalized on Batavia’s mistake. A costly error by first baseman Jalen Roque opened the door for three unearned runs as the Ironbacks extended their advantage to 4-0, shifting momentum firmly in the visitor’s favor.
Niagara starter Cal Noonan, a left-hander from the University of Mary, took advantage of the run support. Noonan kept the Muckdogs offense quiet through six innings, limiting scoring opportunities before turning the game over to the bullpen. The victory improved Noonan’s record to 4-4 on the season, while Chandler suffered his second loss, falling to 4-2.
After Chandler exited, Erwins Branche entered in relief but struggled to find the strike zone, hitting consecutive batters to load the bases before recording just two outs. Jake Szlis was called upon to escape the jam and delivered one of Batavia’s biggest defensive moments of the afternoon. Szlis struck out the first batter he faced before forcing Carter Shin to bounce into a textbook 6-4-3 double play to end the threat.
The Muckdogs finally broke through offensively in the sixth inning. Mason Davey lined a two-run double into shallow right field, cutting Niagara’s lead to 5-2 and bringing life into the home crowd.
Batavia continued to chip away in the seventh when Niagara reliever Jaden Korpan entered the game. On Korpan’s very first pitch, pinch hitter Jeremy Ramos ripped an RBI single to left, trimming the deficit to 5-3.
Any hopes of a comeback were short-lived.
After Matt Marsh replaced Szlis in the eighth inning, Niagara loaded the bases before Wes Thompson delivered the decisive blow- a bases clearing double that stretched the Ironbacks lead to 8-3.
The Muckdogs mounted one final rally in the ninth. Mason Davey tripled to deep right field before Ramos collected his second RBI as a pinch hitter with a single to right, making it 8-4. Niagara closer Nick Hayes retired the remaining hitters to earn his first save of the season and secure the victory.
Batavia manager Skip Martinez pointed to both execution and Niagara’s strong pitching performance after the game.
“It came down to a couple of mental and physical errors, and they outpitched us,” Martinez said. “We’ve got to clean those things up, but I trust our guys. We’ve got a day off to regroup and reset, and I believe in this team and our coaching staff. We’ll fix what we need to fix and finish the regular season strong.”
With the regular season winding down, the Muckdogs will look to bounce back after Monday’s off day when they return to action Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against the Newark Pilots as they continue their push toward the postseason.
