NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - The baseball team (13-23) halted its 10-game losing streak in a big way with a 12-2 victory over Big Four rival Buffalo (10-28), Tuesday at Sal Maglie Stadium. The Purple Eagles slugged 13 hits and received a solid pitching performance from freshman Marcus Spaulding (Copenhagen, N.Y.).

The bottom three batters for Niagara knocked in seven of the team's 12 runs in the win. Junior Chris Leendertse (Ancaster, Ont.) went 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBIs while catcher Alex Otto (Lockport, N.Y.) had a 2-for-4 performance with three RBIs.

Coming into the contest, Otto owned a .048 batting average. After his best performance in a purple uniform, the junior raised his average to .120.

Spaulding (3-0) improved to 2-0 against the Bulls, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits. Both Buffalo runners that crossed the plate did so on bases-loaded walks when the score was already 10-0. The Purple Eagles pushed the lead back to 10 in the bottom of the sixth inning with a pair of runs on an Otto double to right field.

Niagara started its scoring outburst with three runs on three hits with two outs in the second inning. The Purple Eagles batted around in the third inning, scoring four times and taking a 7-0 lead.  In the next inning, Niagara put another crooked number on the board with a 3-spot and a 10-0 lead.

The Purple Eagles travel to Kent State for another non-conference game, Wednesday, at 3 p.m. Freshman Matt Jordan (Orangeburg, N.Y.) will be on the hill looking to start another winning streak for Niagara.