Senior Tegan Bennett |
LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (9-15, 1-2) split a doubleheader with Siena College (1-15, 1-1) Saturday in Loundonville, N.Y.
Niagara returns to action Sunday with a doubleheader at Marist.
Game 1 - Niagara 3, Siena 2
Senior Cheryl Julicher (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville) doubled in the top of the sixth to score the game-winning run and give Niagara its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victory of the season.
Senior Lisa Hess (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter) opened the inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by classmate Colleen Larsen and then scored on Julicher’s second double of the season.
Niagara got on the scoreboard in the first inning when Larsen singled, went to second on a Julicher walk and then scored on junior Amanda Baluch’s (Delanson, N.Y.) single to left field.
Siena scored two runs in the third when a Saint singled down the left-field line with two runners on base.
The Purple Eagles tied the score in the fourth when Julicher singled to center field, advanced to second on a Siena error, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Baluch and then scored on junior Jamie Horn’s (Youngstown, N.Y./Lewiston-Porter) single.
Senior Tegan Bennett (Stouffville, Ont.) won her third game of the season on the mound. She went seven inning and allowed seven hits, two runs and struckout seven.
Julicher was 2 for 2 and Hess, Larsen, Baluch and Horn all had singles.
Game 2 - Siena 4, Niagara 0
Niagara stranded seven runners on base, including four in the final two innings, to drop a 4-0 game to Siena.
Siena scored four runs in the five inning when the Saints had five hits, including a three-run double.
The Purple Eagles had the bases loaded in the sixth when senior Angie Clarke (Harriston, Ont.) had a pinch-hit single, Larsen doubled to center and Baluch was hit by a pitch. But Siena got the ground out to end the inning.
Sophomore Shannon Mongalise (Bethel Park, Pa.) was 2 for 3 and Niagara got singles from Clarke, Larsen, freshman Nicole Sum (Burnably, B.C.) and senior Lauren Dombrowski (Lancaster, N.Y./Lancaster).
Senior Andrea Crapo (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) took the loss on the mound, throwing four innings and giving up five hits and four runs.
