BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Niagara University baseball team (8-14) split a doubleheader at Buffalo (7-17) Wednesday. The Purple Eagles won the first game, 5-4, but then dropped the nightcap, 8-7, at Amherst Audubon Field.
Game 1 - Niagara 5, Buffalo 4
A total of four runs in three of the final four innings propelled Niagara to its third consecutive win.
The Purple Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning when they scored in the first inning and again in the top of the fourth. Senior Tim Fitzgerald scored Niagara’s first run when singled to shortstop, stole second, advanced to third on Mike Alati’s single and scored on a throwing error. The second run came when Daniel Parsons tripled down the right-field line to score Matt Schaefer.
Buffalo tied the game in the bottom of the fourth when the Bulls came up with three hits.
Niagara took the lead with a pair of runs in the fifth inning. Fitzgerald walked, went to second on another walk, reached third on a ground out and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrew MacNevin. Schaefer singled in Reed Eastley for the second run.
Eastley drove in a run in the sixth inning when Vince Ircandia walked, advanced to third on a single by Fitzgerald and then scored on Eastley’s sacrifice fly. Fitzgerald had two hits to lead the Purple Eagles’ attack.
Buffalo came back in the seventh inning, scoring two runs on three hits, including a double but Kyle Nicoletta got the save when David Amaro flied out to center to end the game. Ryan Virtue remained undefeated going four innings and giving up five hits and two runs.
Game 2 - Buffalo 8, Niagara 7
Al Barbato hit a solo home run down the right-field line in the bottom of the ninth to score the game-winning run for Buffalo in the doubleheader.
The teams traded leads in the early going before Niagara pushed across three runs in its half of the third for a 4-2 lead. Alati had a two-run triple before scoring on a single by Paul Solini. Ircandia, Alati and Solini each paced Niagara with three hits.
Buffalo used a three-run inning of its own in the fifth to take a 6-5 lead. James Kingsley had a two-out, two-run single to fuel the Bulls.
UB’s Joe Mihalics tripled in the seventh inning before scoring on a ground out to tie the game, setting the stage for Barbato’s late-inning heroics.
