NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - Senoir Michael Kellar (Colifax, Ill.) improved to a perfect 4-0 in conference play with a complete game, three-hit shutout on Easter Sunday. The Purple Eagles scored twice in the second, and that's all they would need in the 2-0 victory over Siena.

Kellar (4-3) pitched his second-straight complete game, this time allowing just three hits. After giving up a two-out single to centerfield in the fourth inning, the left-hander retired 15 of the final 16 batters. The lone Saint to collect a hit during that span was erased when he tried to stretch a sixth-inning single into a double. He finished the afternoon with five strikeouts and just one walk.

"We bounced back well (Sunday) to get a very important win," Niagara head coach Rob McCoy said. "In this conference, every win matters. Kellar pitched outstanding today, and our hitters did a good job of taking a better approach and being more aggressive at the plate."

Niagara gave Kellar a 2-0 cushion when rookie second baseman Keith Picconi (Merrick, N.Y.) lined a two-run double down the rightfield line in the second inning. Outfielders Stephen Smith (West Islip, N.Y.) and Cam Stykemain (Defiance, Ohio) scored on the play. Stykemain went 3-for-3 on the afternoon and reached base all four times with three singles and a walk.

Junior third baseman Trevor Rutkowski (Crystal Lake, Ill.) also collected three hits, as he had three singles in his first three at bats. In all, the Purple Eagles mustered 10 hits after managing just five yesterday in 23 innings.

However, NU needed just a few hits on Easter Sunday thanks to the performance they received from Kellar. The senior hurler has been on a roll during conference play. Kellar has allowed no more than five hits in MAAC action this season, and he has combined to allow seven hits in his last two starts, both nine-inning complete games. In his last three games, Kellar has pitched 25.0 innings, allowing 10 hits and three runs while striking out 22 batters.

The Purple Eagles return to Sal Maglie Stadium on Tuesday when they host Saint Bonaventure in a doubleheader at 2 p.m.