STAFF REPORTS
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BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – The Purple Eagles baseball team swept a doubleheader with Bowling Green on Sunday to improve to 9-7 on the season.
Game 1: Niagara 3, Bowling Green 1
Bowling Green (4-12) got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Purple Eagles (9-7) quickly tied things up. In the top of the third with two runners on base, Greg Cullen lined out to right field, scoring Julian Gallup. Niagara took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth after Nick Bernick batted in Philippe Langlois. In the top of the fifth, Peter Battaglia singled to right field to score Joel Brophy for NU’s final run of the game. Cullen, Battaglia and Bernick had one RBI each and Cullen, Tanner Kirwer and Trevor McCauley had a team-high two hits each. Matthew Brash (3-0) remained undefeated on the mound. He struck out two batters and allowed only two hits in 5.0 innings pitched. Matt McCuen, who replaced Brash in the ninth inning, earned his second save of the season.
Game 2: Niagara 3, Bowling Green 2
The Purple Eagles took the early lead in game two. In the top of the first, Battaglia doubled to right center to send home Cullen and put NU up, 1-0. Bowling Green, however, quickly tied things up, 1-1, in the bottom of the first. Niagara took back the lead in the top of the third, 2-1, when Brophy batted in Kirwer. A score from Joseph Tevlin, who was batted in by Kirwer, in the top of the seventh put NU up by two runs, 3-1. The Falcons scored again in the bottom of the seventh and were down by only one run, 3-2. McCuen took the mound after Bowling Green’s score and held off the Falcons to earn his second save of the day and his third save of the season. Battaglia, Brophy and Kirwer had one RBI each and Tevlin led NU at the plate with two hits. Nate Mascellino (1-1) struck out two batters in 6.1 innings pitched and earned the win.
The Purple Eagles return to Western New York for a doubleheader with Little 3 rival St. Bonaventure on Tuesday at 1 p.m.
