NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. – The Purple Eagles baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader with Monmouth on Saturday to open its three-game series with the Hawks.
Game 1: Monmouth 6, Niagara 1
- Monmouth (15-20, 5-6 MAAC) took the lead in the top of the second inning, 1-0, and never looked back. The Hawks added on one run in the fifth, one in the sixth and two runs in the top of the seventh to take a 5-0 lead over the Purple Eagles (12-19, 4-7 MAAC).
- The Purple Eagles got on the board in the bottom of the eighth inning. A ground out from Greg Cullenscored Julian Gallup, but NU still trailed by four runs, 5-1.
- Monmouth tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth to earn the 6-1 victory.
- Six players (Gallup, Michael Gabriele, Owen Dziados, Wyatt Olson, Philippe Langlois, Joseph Tevlin) recorded one hit for the Purple Eagles.
- Cullen had a team-best one RBI.
- On the mound, Cody Eckerson (1-4) fanned three in 6.0 innings pitched.
Game 2: Monmouth 8, Niagara 5 (7 innings)
- The Hawks scored three runs in the top of the first to take the early 3-0 lead over the Purple Eagles.
- Niagara got on the board in the bottom of the third. Cullen singled up the middle, plating Gabriele. With bases loaded, Olson was walked and Trevor McCauley scored to leave NU trailing by only one run, 3-2.
- Monmouth, however, extended its lead, 5-2, in the top of the fourth and a solo homerun from the Hawks in the top of the fifth put them up 6-2 over the Purple Eagles.
- In the bottom of the fifth, Dziados drove a run home, halving Monmouth’s lead, 6-3.
- A two-run homer from Monmouth in the top of the seventh gave the Hawks an 8-3 advantage.
- Niagara tried to battle back in the bottom of the seventh. A standup triple from Peter Battaglia scored Cullen and an RBI single from Dziados scored Battaglia. However, NU could not overcome the Hawks’ lead, falling 8-5.
- Cullen led the Purple Eagles with three hits. Dziados and McCauley each recorded two hits.
- Dziados had a team-high two RBIs.
- Matthew Brash (0-1) took the loss on the mound. He struck out four in 3.0 innings pitched.
Up Next
- The Purple Eagles close out their series with the Hawks on Sunday, April 22 with a single game starting at 12:00 p.m.
