FAIRFAX, Va. – The Niagara softball team dropped a pair of games at the George Mason Invitational on Saturday afternoon. The Purple Eagles lost in extra inning to Central Connecticut State, 5-4, and fell 5-1 against Cornell.

“As disappointed as how I am with the way we played as a whole, we learned some valuable lessons that will assist us as the season progresses,” head coach Al Dirschberger said.

In the CCSU game, Niagara (7-4) began its rally down 4-1 in the third inning. Maggie McDonald (Cicero, N.Y,) drove home two Purple Eagles with a double to left field. Later in the inning, Jenna Baker (West Seneca, N.Y.) had a sacrifice fly to score McDonald from third to tie the game at 4-4.

The game would remain tie until the eighth inning when CCSU scored one run. In Niagara’s last inning, the Purple Eagles went down in order to end the game.

Niagara was in a defensive battle against Cornell until the final two innings.

Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) belted a solo home run to give NU a 1-0 lead in the fifth. However, the Big Red would score five runs off of six hits in the sixth and seven innings.

Freshman pitcher Julie DiMatteo (South Portland, Maine) suffered her first career loss in the game.

The Purple Eagles concludes the three-day invitational with games against Cornell and George Mason on Sunday.