BALTIMORE, Md. – Freshman Kristin Kill’s (South Portland, Maine) RBI single in the top of the ninth inning secured a 6-5 win for the Niagara University softball team (4-10) over Sacred Heart Sunday in the UMBC Spring Classic.

Kill, who went 3 for 5 on the day, dropped her single into shallow left field to score junior Melissa Markle (Orchard Park, N.Y./West Seneca West).

Niagara lead 1-0 in the top of the first when senior Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) hit a solo home run to left field. Sacred Heart answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth inning.

In the seventh, Markle was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Jamie Constanz (Endicott, N.Y.) and then scored on an RBI single to right centerfield from sophomore Heather Lohrman (Newport Beach, Calif.). Sacred Heart again tied the game in the bottom of the inning.

With sophomore Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) on second base to open the eighth inning, Kill advanced her to third on a bunt single and Sum then connected on a three-run home run to centerfield to put the Purple Eagles up 5-2.

The Pioneers tied the game with their own three-run home run and set up Kill’s game-winning hit.

Junior Brooke Viola (Los Alamito, Calif.) got the win, throwing 2.2 innings and striking out one. Classmate Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) threw the first seven and third innings, giving up nine hits and striking out seven.

Niagara returns to action March 31 when its opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play with a noon doubleheader at Fairfield University.