Senior Tegan Bennett took the loss in the 10-inning opener at Manhattan Saturday.

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (15-21, 6-4) dropped a pair of games Saturday vs. Manhattan (11-22, 6-2) at Gaelic Park. The Purple Eagles lost the opener, 5-4 in 10 innings and then the nightcap 9-1.

Niagara continues its six-game road swing with a doubleheader Sunday at Saint Peter’s. First pitch at Joseph J. Jaroschak Field is at 1 p.m.

Game 1 - Manhattan 5, Niagara 4 (10 innings)

Manhattan’s Jennifer McCracken drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th inning to help Manhattan win the first game.

Niagara jumped out to an early lead, scoring three runs in the top of the first, the first two on back-to-back runs batted on doubles by freshman Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) and senior Cheryl Julicher (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville), and the third on a Manhattan error.

The Lady Jaspers answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, when, after consecutive infield singles, both runners scored after back-to-back Purple Eagle errors when attempting a double steal. Manhattan knotted the score at 3-3 in the fifth when McCracken singled to center, Marina Ysaac went to third and scored on a Niagara error. The Lady Jaspers took their first lead of the game, 4-3, in the sixth on a RBI single.

In the top of the seventh, the Purple Eagles plated a two-out run when junior Jamie Horn (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter) hit a RBI single to center, scoring pinch runner senior Amy Dulski (Springville, N.Y./Springville Griffith Institute) to tie the score at 4-4 and send the game into extra innings.

Senior Tegan Bennett (5-7) went the distance for Niagara, allowing one earned run and 14 hits. Jillian Medea threw a six-hitter and struck out 14 for Manhattan.

Game 2 - Manhattan 9, Niagara 1

In the second game, after Manhattan took a 1-0 lead in the third on a McCracken RBI single, Niagara tied the score in the fourth on a solo homer by Julicher. It was the senior’s team-leading fourth digger of the season.

The Lady Jaspers then blew the game open in the fourth, plating seven runs on six hits. In the sixth, Manhattan scored once more to make it 9-1, invoking the eight-run rule, and ending the game.

Senior Andrea Crapo (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) took the loss and Medea threw a three-hitter striking out nine.