NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA UNIV. — The Niagara baseball team swept a doubleheader with St. Bonaventure on Tuesday to win its fourth straight game.
Game 1: Niagara 9, St. Bonaventure 3
- St. Bonaventure (6-17) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Purple Eagles (11-14) answered quickly. In the bottom of the first with bases loaded, Owen Dziados singled down the right field line, scoring Michael Gabriele. Trevor McCauley scored on an RBI walk from Philippe Langlois to put the Purple Eagles ahead, 2-1.
- In the bottom of the second inning, Darian Blanks scored on a wild pitch to extend NU’s lead, 3-1.
- Niagara had a stellar third inning offensively. Gabriele singled to left center, scoring both Wyatt Olson and Joseph Tevlin. Greg Cullen added an RBI single and Dziados had a two RBI single to keep the Purple Eagles comfortably ahead of the Bonnies, 8-1.
- Gabriele had an RBI single in the bottom of the fourth to put the Purple Eagles up 9-1.
- St. Bonaventure scored twice in the top of the seventh, but Niagara maintained its lead and came away with the 9-3 win.
- Dziados and Gabriele led the Purple Eagles with three hits and three RBIs each.
- Tyler Howard (2-1) earned the win on the mound. He struck out one and allowed only two hits in 3.0 scoreless innings.
Game 2: Niagara 10, St. Bonaventure 1
- The Purple Eagles took an early lead in game two and never looked back. In the bottom of the first, an RBI single from Peter Battaglia put Niagara on the board. Scores from Cullen, Battaglia and McCauley put the Purple Eagles ahead of the Bonnies, 4-0.
- In the bottom of the fifth, Benny Serrano doubled to right field to score Dawson Bailey. Cullen then doubled to left field to score Serrano and Gabriele. Another score from Cullen extended Niagara’s lead, 8-0.
- The Bonnies got on the board in the top of the sixth, but still trailed NU by seven runs, 8-1.
- A two RBI double from Battaglia in the bottom of the sixth iced the Purple Eagles’ 10-1 victory over the Bonnies.
- Battaglia, Gabriele and Serrano each recorded two hits.
- Battaglia had a team-high three RBIs, while Cullen and Langlois each had two.
- Gabriele led the team in runs scored with three.
- On the mound, Nigel Stearns (1-0) earned his first win of the season. He fanned one and allowed zero hits in 2.0 innings pitched.
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles resume conference play with a three-game series at Marist April 14-15.
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter @NUPurpleEagles and @NiagaraBASE. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook/PurpleEagles and on Instagram @NUPurpleEagles.
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