Kissimmee, Fla. – The Niagara Purple Eagles softball team racked up two more wins at the Rebel Springs Games in Kissimmee, Fla. on Sunday afternoon. Niagara edged Detroit Mercy, 5-3, and then defeated Lehigh 4-3 in extra innings.

"We continued to make improvement inning by inning,” head coach Al Dirschberger said. “Today's wins were a team effort, everyone contributed at some point."

In the Detroit Mercy game, Kayla Hines (Clifton Park, N.Y.) knocked out a two-run home run in the fifth inning to secure a 5-3 win over the Titans. Hines had three RBIs on the game and went 2-for-4 in the game. Teresa Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs. Pitcher Katie Gleiser (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) struck out six in six innings and allowed no earned runs.

Niagara (4-0) had to battle back to force extra innings against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks in game two of the day. Down 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, the Purple Eagles chipped into the lead with a Melissa Markle’s (Orchard Park, N.Y.) RBI single to score Maggie McDonald (Cicero, N.Y.) from third.

In the seventh inning, Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) started the inning with a double and was drove home by Healy to tie the game at 3-3. Healy was thrown out at the plate in an attempt to win the game.

In the eighth inning the international tie breaker rule, which places the leadoff batter on second, was used. Niagara, howver, did not allow a run. In the bottom half of the inning, Markle’s sacrifice bunt moved McDonald to third, but an error on Lehigh allowed McDonald to score the game-winning run, 4-3.

Freshman Pitcher Ali Grab (Erie, Pa.) had five innings of work, giving up one earned run. Michelle Krier (Kenmore, N.Y.) (2-0) pitched three innings and allowed no runs for her second win on the season.

The Purple Eagles will play a doubleheader against Holy Cross tomorrow morning from Kissimmee, Fla.