POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The Niagara University softball team (23-19; 9-3 MAAC) kept on its winning ways as they defeated the Marist Red Foxes (18-25; 4-5 MAAC) 10-4 and 5-1 on Saturday afternoon in a battle between the second and third place teams in the conference. The Purple Eagles have now won four straight games and nine of their last 12.

Should the Purple Eagles win at least one game against Siena on Sunday, the Purple Eagles clinch a post-season berth, while a sweep would guarantee Niagara at least a second place finish.

Purple Eagles skipper Al Dirschberger was pleased with the effort that his team gave today against a strong Marist softball team.

"We did a great job today bouncing back from our last MAAC outing against Canisius,"  stated Dirschberger. "We are playing with confidence and we need to keep that going."

Niagara 10, Marist 4
Niagara drew first blood in game one, as Jenna Baker (West Seneca, N.Y.) hit her team leading 13th home run, as Niagara would proceed to put four runs up between the second and third inning. Maggie McDonald (Cicero, N.Y.) finally hit a single in the fifth inning to drive her hit streak up to 19 games, as by the end of six innings, the Purple Eagles led 9-2.

Kristin Sito (Elyria, Ohio) capped off Niagara's game one performance with her eighth dinger of the season, which also marks the 50th time this year that the Purple Eagles used the long ball. Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) pitched 6.2 innings, only allowing two extra base hits. Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) went 1-for-5, but had a hand in four of Niagara's runs.

Niagara 5, Marist 1
The second game of the doubleheader was a quiet one, as the Red Foxes enjoyed a slim 1-0 lead until the fifth inning. With Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) singling and advancing over to third on a fielder's choice and a stolen base, Teresa Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) singled to left field to bring around the tying run. Teresa Healy would eventually score when Tory Healy put the ball into play, but got on base via an error on the first baseman.

With a 2-1 lead, Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) continued her superb game. Viola shut down the Red Foxes, while her teammates would add three more runs to the board, for a 5-1 margin. The senior hurler earned the complete game win, only allowing one run and four hits. McDonald went 1-for-3, getting a single in the seventh inning, which extended her hit streak to 20 games.

With six games left, Niagara travels to take on MAAC rival Siena on Sunday, with first pitch slated for noon. If you can't attend the game, catch the game here.