HAMILTON, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (8-12) registered its first sweep of the season with 13-1 and 8-5 wins over Colgate University (12-17) Wednesday afternoon at the Eaton Street Complex.

The Purple Eagles recorded 29 hits and hit .460 as a squad. Defensively, Niagara gave up just nine hits and limited the Raiders to a .260 batting average.

Senior Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West) hit .857 with six hits, including a double, in the series. All told, four Purple Eagles hit .500-or-better.

Niagara returns to action Saturday when it hosts Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference rival Manhattan College in its home opener at noon at Niagara Field.

Niagara 13, Colgate 1 (5 innings)

Sophomore Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) was 4 for 4 with a home run, three runs and three RBI as Niagara pounded out 16 hits, 13 runs and 12 RBI in the win.

Senior Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) was 2 for 2 with three RBI and two runs scored when she hit a two-run home run in the first inning. Junior Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.), Baker and freshman Jenna Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West) all registered two hits each.

Niagara took leads of 3-0 in the first, 5-0 in the second and used an eight-run fourth inning to go up 13-0. Colgate scored its lone run in the bottom of the fifth.

Junior Brook Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) picked up her fifth win of the season, throwing a two hitter with five strikeouts in five innings of work.

Niagara 8, Colgate 5

Niagara scored six runs in the top of the fifth to come back from a 5-0 deficit and sweep the series.

The Purple Eagles mounted their comeback when senior Ashley Bognar (Tonawanda, N.Y./Cardinal O’Hara) hit a home run. Healy then hit a two-run double to right center to cut the lead to 5-3. Lisa Baker hit an RBI single up the middle to make it 5-4 and then Jenna Baker forced a Colgate error that plated Healy and Baker and gave Niagara the lead for good.

In the seventh inning, Jenna Baker doubled to left field to score pinch runner Laynie Stillman (Homer, N.Y.) and then scored on a Raider throwing error.

Junior Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) recorded her third win of the season, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up six hits and striking out three. Sophomore Katie Gleiser (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Maryvale) registered her first collegiate save, throwing the final 2.2 innings of the game and giving up a hit and striking out two.