NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Three Purple Eagles hit .500 as the Niagara University softball team (11-13, 5-3) split a doubleheader with Saint Peter’s College (16-16, 7-3) Saturday afternoon at Niagara Field. The Purple Eagles lost game one, 8-3, but earned the split with a 7-0 shut out in game 2.

Junior Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.), freshman Kristin Kill (South Portland, Maine) and sophomore Heather Lohrman (Newport Beach, Calif.) all hit .500. Seniors Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) and Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West) each had three hits, including a double and home run.

Niagara returns to action April 24 when it meets Canisius College in the Battle of the Bridge at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo.

Game 1 - Saint Peter’s 8, Niagara 3

A five-run third inning propelled Saint Peter’s to a win in game one.

Saint Peter’s Christie Crowell singled in Meg Papierniak to open the game’s scoring. Crowell then scored on a single by Kristen Kinneer. Julie Saporito hit a three-run home run to left centerfield for the other three runs.

The Peahens made it 6-0 in the top of the fourth when Crowell hit a single through the left side to score Papierniak.

Niagara got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth when Kill doubled to left field to score Lohrman, who singled to get on base.

Baker hit a leadoff home run to right field to make it 6-2 in the bottom of the sixth, but Saint Peter’s collected two more runs in the top of the seventh when Kinneer and Saporito scored on a Niagara error.

Junior Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) took the loss, giving up 14 hits and striking out five.

Game 2 - Niagara 7 Saint Peter’s 0

Junior Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) picked up her first shut out of the season and earned her team-leading seventh win, throwing a four-hitter in the second game of the doubleheader.

Niagara took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when junior Jamie Constantz (Endicott, N.Y.) singled to center field to score freshman Jenna Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West).

The Purple Eagles made it 2-0 in the bottom of the third when Sum hit her team-leading fifth home run of the season to right center field. Lisa Baker then doubled in Healy for a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, Kill singled in Lohrman after the sophomore walked and then went to second on a wild pitch.

Lohrman hit a bases-loaded, two-run single to left field to put Niagara up 6-0 in the bottom of the fifth.

Niagara added another run in the bottom of the sixth when Lisa Baker hit an RBI single up the middle to score Kill.