MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Niagara baseball team dropped a pair of games at Kansas State on Friday. The Purple Eagles (2-7) lost game one 12-1 before falling in game two to the Wildcats (8-2), 9-8.

"In the first game, we didn't compete, and the score reflected that," head coach Rob McCoy said. "In the second game, we finally realized how we were capable of playing. While we are not satisfied with the loss, it shows progress."

Niagara's lone run in the first game came off the bat of Jason Cramer (Jackson, N.J.). The middle infielder smack his first career home run, going 2-for-3 in the opener.

Michael Kellar (Colifax, Ill.) fell to 0-2, allowing five earned runs in five innings, but the Purple Eagles' bullpen didn't give the team a chance.

In the second game, NU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-RBI single by Cramer. The Purple Eagles had a pair of three-run innings in the sixth and in the eighth, but could get no closer.

Daniel Morari (Saskatoon, Sask.) took the loss, his first of the season, allowing six earned runs in six innings of work.

Overall for the day, Cramer was 4-for-8 with three RBI.

The Purple Eagles resume the Kansas State series Saturday at 2 p.m.