RICHMOND, Va. - The Niagara beaseball team fell in its 2009 season opener at Richmond on Saturday, 8-6. Sophomore Brian Deering (Springfield, Va.) connected on his first career home run in the loss.

The Purple Eagles fell behind early, but rallied to tie the score on two seperate occassions, including 6-6 late in the contest.

"Overall, I think we played solid defense and our hitters performed well," coach Rob McCoy said. "I thought Marcus Spaulding (Copenhagen, N.Y.) had a quality start on the mound, despite not having his best stuff. But like he always does, he found a way to keep us in the game."

Junior Tim Cozier (Ajax, Ont.) went 2-for-4 with a home run. Classmate Jason Cramer (Jackson, N.J.) started the year off on the right foot offensively going 3-for-4 with a run scored.

The Purple Eagles will conclude the doubleheader at Pitt Field on Sunday.