Marshall University Athletics
Marshall University
26-24, 0
Georgia State
24-27, 0
Marshall Baseball Picks Series Opening Win at Georgia State, 15-14
5/9/2025 11:54:00 PM | Baseball
Niu homer in 10th proves to be the game-winning run
Â
ATLANTA – The Marshall University Baseball team (26-24, 11-14 SBC) captured a series opening win over the Georgia State Panthers (24-27, 9-16 SBC) in Atlanta, 15-14, in 10 innings on Friday night.
Â
"The bottom line is our guys competed with some serious toughness tonight," Herd Baseball Head Coach Greg Beals said after the win.
Â
With the game tied 14-14 in the top of the 10th, Maika Niu stepped to the plate to lead off the inning. The shortstop smoked a 1-1 offering for his eighth homer of the season to put The Herd up 15-14.
Â
Nicholas Weyrich then had a shutdown bottom half of the inning, ending the game with a strikeout to seal the game for his fourth win of the season.
Â
MU struck early as AJ Havrilla tallied the first run of the game in the top of third scoring Jackson Halter on his 10th sacrifice fly of the season. Eddie Leon followed with a two-run homer to left, scoring Niu, to make it 3-0. It marked Leon's sixth homer of the season.
Â
Havrilla stepped back to the dish in the fourth, scoring Nolan Wilson with a single to right extending the lead to 4-0.
Â
After the Panthers cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, Marshall answered with five in the top of the fifth. A Nolan Wilson three-run double seeing Cam Harthan, Ethan Murdoch and Elijah Vogelsong with a Leon two-out double scoring Havrilla and Niu to make it 9-2.
Â
GSU battled back to tie the game 9-9 in the bottom of the fifth with seven runs.
Â
MU answered quickly in the top of the sixth. Murdoch launched a two-run blast to left scored Vogelsong to make it 11-9 on his team-leading 10th homer of the season. Niu then plated Harthan with a ground out to move the lead to 12-9.
Â
Five runs in the bottom of the eighth gave Georgia State a 14-12 lead heading into the top of the ninth.
Â
However, a sacrifice fly by Vogelsong scored Leon and a sacrifice fly by Nolan Wilson scored Tyler Kamerer to knot the ballgame 14-14. Weyrich followed with a 1-2-3 bottom half of the inning, with two strikeouts, to send it to extras before Niu's game-winning homer.
Â
Halter, Leon and Murdoch all had three-hit efforts as Leon and Wilson each had four RBI.
Â
UP NEXT
Marshall looks to take the series on Saturday in game two at Georgia State. First pitch has been moved up to Noon in Atlanta.
Â
To donate to the Championship Fund for Marshall baseball, please click HERE. All proceeds go directly to the Marshall baseball team.
Â
For all the latest information about Marshall baseball, follow @herdbaseball on Twitter and Instagram.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS and Android.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Weyrich, Nicholas (4-4)
L: Crews, J. (1-2)
Batting:
2B: Halter, Jackson 1 ; Leon, Eddie 2 ; Wilson, Nolan 1
HR: Niu, Maika 1 ; Leon, Eddie 1 ; Murdoch, Ethan 1
RBI: Niu, Maika 2 ; Havrilla, AJ 2 ; Leon, Eddie 4 ; Vogelsong, Elijah 1 ; Murdoch, Ethan 2 ; Wilson, Nolan 4
SF: Havrilla, AJ 1 ; Vogelsong, Elijah 1 ; Wilson, Nolan 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Halter, Jackson 1 ; Niu, Maika 3 ; Havrilla, AJ 1 ; Leon, Eddie 2 ; Kamerer, Tyler 1 ; Vogelsong, Elijah 2 ; Murdoch, Ethan 2 ; Harthan, Cam 2 ; Wilson, Nolan 1
SB: Halter, Jackson 1 ; Niu, Maika 1 ; Havrilla, AJ 1
HBP: Niu, Maika 1 ; Havrilla, AJ 1 ; Harthan, Cam 2 ; Wilson, Nolan 1
Batting:
2B: Freeman, K. 1 ; Maginnis, W. 1 ; Maginnis, M. 1
HR: Freeman, K. 1
RBI: Freeman, K. 3 ; Maginnis, W. 1 ; Maginnis, M. 3 ; Griffith, C. 1 ; Lewis, A. 1 ; Williams, J. 1
SF: Freeman, K. 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Freeman, K. 1 ; Donohoe, J. 2 ; Hynek, C. 2 ; Maginnis, W. 3 ; Maginnis, M. 2 ; Milford, C. 1 ; Garagozzo, N 1 ; Killingswort 1 ; Williams, J. 1
SB: Freeman, K. 1
