LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – The Niagara University baseball team (10-14, 5-1) swept the first two games of a three-game series with Siena (10-15, 2-4) Friday afternoon at Siena Field. The Purple Eagles have won five of their last six games and eight of their last 10
The teams return to action Saturday when they close the series with a noon game.
Game 1 - Niagara 6, Siena 4
Sophomore Andrew MacNevin (St. Catherines, P.E.I.) singled through the right side of the Siena infield, driving home the tying and eventual winning runs, to cap a two-out four-run rally in the top of the eighth inning to propel Niagara to a 6-4 come-from-behind win.
Siena scored the series’ first run when Shawn Hampton doubled down the left-field line to score Bill Lazio in the first inning.
Niagara tied the game in the third inning when senior Tim Fitzgerald (Orchard Park, N.Y./Canisius) drove home freshman Morgan DuBois (Homer, N.Y./Homer) with a double.
The Saints responded with a three-run fourth inning and then held Niagara to the one run until the eighth.
In that inning, the Purple Eagles loaded the bases when junior Vince Ircandia (Calgary, Alb.) and Fitzgerald had back-to-back singles and junior Reed Eastley (Brandon, Man.) was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Paul Solini (Liverpool, N.Y.) then lined a single to right field to drive in two runs and set up MacNevin’s heroics.
Niagara added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a two-out single to center by Eastley. Siena tried to tie the game with two outs in the ninth but Fitzgerald made a catch at the warning track.
Fitzgerald was 4 for 5 with two runs scored, and Ircandia and Solini were 2 for 4. Solini and MacNevin also nabbed two RBI. Junior Chris Cerchie (Lasalle, Ont.) registered his first win of the season, throwing three innings and giving up two hits.
Game 2 - Niagara 4, Siena 1
Niagara struck twice in each of the first two innngs and then held off several late Siena rallies to earn a 4-1 win over Siena.
In the first inning, sophomore Mike Alati (Vaughn, N.Y.) singled home Eastley, who got on base with a double and then advanced to third on a fielding error. The Purple Eagles scored two more runs in the second on a Fitzgerald double to left-centerfield.
Siena’s lone run came in the fifth inning after a Niagara error.
The Saints attempted a comeback in their final at bat. With two outs, Siena loaded the bases before Solini barehanded a one-hopper down the first-base line that ricocheted off the bag and then raced to first for the final out.
Freshman Josh Sawatzky (Altona, Man.) went six innings, striking out three in earning his second win of the season. Sophomore Matt Fuller (Rochester, N.Y.) earned his team-leading third save of the season with a scoreless seventh.
Eastley was 2 for 4, and Fitzgerald and Alati each collected two RBI.
