NIAGARA UNIV., NY – The Purple and White dropped both games of its home doubleheader against Fairfield Friday afternoon in MAAC softball action on Monteagle Ridge.
Game 1 Recap: Niagara 4, Fairfield 6
• The Purple Eagles would open the scoring in the bottom of the third when Shayna Myshrall laced a double to straight-away center to bring home Samantha Hare and Lindsay Mayo and give NU a 2-0.
• The Stags would get one back in the fourth with a seeing-eye single off Maddie Hickingbottom, scoring the runner from third.
• Kaylee Haines would collect an RBI in the bottom of the sixth to give NU a 3-1 when she drove in Madison LaPenta from second with a ground ball up the middle.
• With one out in top of the seventh Julia Thompson would come in to relieve Hickingbottom. The junior would surrender the tying and go ahead runs to the Stags, who took a three-run lead in the inning, 6-2.
• In the bottom half of the inning, Sophia Marrero would drive in one to make it a 6-4 game but that would be it for the Purple Eagles as they fell, 6-4 to the visiting Stags in the first game of the twin bill.
Niagara Notes
• Myshrall connected on her third double of the season and drove in RBIs number six and seven on the season.
• Haines’ RBI in the sixth was the first of her career.
• Mayo picked up her team leading 21st hit of the season and has reached base safely in 22 of 25 games this season.
• Hickingbottom set down the first seven batters she faced and a string of eight batters from the end of the fourth inning through the seventh.
Game 2 Recap: Niagara 2, Fairfield 5
• Fairfield opened the scoring in the second with a squeeze bunt that pushed across the game’s opening run.
• The Purple and White would take a 2-1 lead in the third with a pair of sacrifice flies off the bats of Hare and Myshrall.
• The Stags would score two in the fourth and two in the fifth to take a 5-2 lead over Niagara.
• Cara Leone made the start for Niagara, tossing four innings and allowing three runs on six hits, before being relieved by Hickingbottom in the fifth.
• After surrendering two runs in the fifth, Hickingbottom would set down the Stags in order in the sixth and seventh.
Niagara Notes
• Mayo recorded two hits in the game, including her sixth double of the season.
• With three more strikeouts in the nightcap of the twin bill, Hickingbottom now has 77 strikeouts on the season.
• With the loss, Niagara’s losing streak moves to 20 games, its longest since 2015 when the Purple Eagles loss the first 19 games of the season.
Up Next
• Niagara will play two games against MAAC foe Iona on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m.
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