NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
FAIRFIELD, C.T. — The Purple Eagles baseball team split a doubleheader with Fairfield on Saturday to close out its MAAC-opening series with the Stags.
Game 1: Niagara 6, Fairfield 5 (7 innings)
- Niagara (7-12, 2-1 MAAC) got on the board in the top of the fourth inning. Owen Dziados flied out to center field to score Greg Cullen and give NU a 1-0 lead.
- The Stags (8-15, 2-4 MAAC) scored in the bottom of the fifth to tie things up, 1-1.
- In the top of the sixth, Wyatt Olson doubled to center field to send Cullen and Dziados home. Olson then scored and an RBI single from Michael Gabriele scored Joseph Tevlin. Julian Gallup scored on an error by the Stags’ catcher to give Niagara a 6-1 lead.
- The Stags scored three times in the bottom of the sixth and once in the bottom of the seventh and trailed by only one run, 6-5, but the Purple Eagles held them off the remainder of the game and earned the victory.
- Cullen led Niagara with three hits and Olson had a team-high two RBIs.
- Cody Eckerson (1-2) earned the win, fanning five in 6.0 innings pitched.
- Matthew Grace threw the final inning and earned his second save of the season.
Game 2: Fairfield 6, Niagara 5
- Niagara got off to a hot start in game two with a three-run homer from Cullen in the top of the first inning to give NU a 3-0 lead over the Stags.
- Fairfield, however, answered quickly, scoring five times in the bottom of the first inning to take a 5-3 lead.
- In the top of the eighth, Dawson Bailey doubled to center field, scoring both Trevor McCauley and Darian Blanks to tie the score, 5-5.
- A solo homerun from the Stags in the bottom of the ninth earned them the win.
- Cullen and Benny Serrano had a team-best two hits each.
- Cullen led the team in RBIs with three. Bailey had two RBIs.
- Alex MacKinnon (0-3) took the loss, allowing the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth.
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles host the Iona Gaels for opening weekend at the newly renovated Bobo Field April 7-8. The teams will play a doubleheader on April 7 starting at 12:00 p.m. and a single game starting at 12:00 p.m. on April 8.
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