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Teresa Healy
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CLEVELAND – The Niagara softball team dropped two one-run games at the Cleveland State Vikings on Thursday afternoon. The Purple Eagles fell 4-3 in game one, and 8-7 in game two.
Niagara (14-9) employed a three-run sixth inning rally to tie the game, only to give up the lead in the bottom half of the inning to lose 4-3 in game one.
Niagara fell behind 1-0 in a tightly contested game in the third inning from a solo homerun. The Purple Eagles found themselves down 3-0 in the fifth after Cleveland State’s Megan Bashak stole home and a RBI double by Lia Gordon.
Senior Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) began the sixth inning rally with a leadoff single to right centerfield. Local native Kristin Kill (Elyria, Ohio) followed with a single of her own to advance Coffey to third. An error by the Vikings’ first baseman allowed Coffey to stroll home on the next play.
Two batters later, Maggie McDonald (Cicero, N.Y.) and Kill executed a double steal which allowed Kill to score from third. Teresa Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) tied the game with a sacrifice fly to score McDonald.
Cleveland State (15-13) played small ball in its half of the sixth inning and Shalyn Adams’ sacrifice fly proved to be the game-winning RBI.
The Purple Eagles retired in order in the seventh inning to end the game.
Freshman pitcher Julie DiMatteo (South Portland, Maine) picked up the loss in a complete game effort.
In game two, it was Cleveland State that rally to top Niagara in a game that witnessed four home runs.
The Purple Eagles jumped out of the gate to take a commanding lead. Niagara racked up five hits leading to five runs, including a three-run home run by Coffey in the second inning. The Vikings answered with a two-run homer in their half of the third inning.
Jennifer Hare (Tonawanda, N.Y.) was 2-for-2 with two RBIs in the game. One of her RBIs came from her solo home run in the fourth inning to increase Niagara’s lead to 6-2.
CSU, however, would outscore NU 6-1 in the last three innings. The Vikings hit a two-run homer in the fifth and scored three runs in the sixth inning to tie the game at 6-6.
Adams, who drove in the game-winning run in game one, hit a RBI single to win game two 8-7.
Niagara will have its home and conference openers this Saturday when it faces the Saint Peter’s Peahens at noon from Niagara Field.
