NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara baseball team (15-25; 10-5 MAAC) dropped a non-conference game against the Cleveland State Vikings (13-21; 5-7 Horizon) 7-3 at Bobo Field on Thursday afternoon.

The Vikings held a 4-0 lead until the Purple Eagles finally dented the scoredboard in the 6th inning. With the bases loaded and no outs, junior Jason Cramer (Jackson, N.J.) hit into a double-play, which pushed across senior Matt Lucchesi (San Francisco, Calif.) and placed sophomore Cam Stykemain (Defiance, Ohio) on third. Freshman Wynton Bernard (Poway, Calif.) singled to left field to score Stykemain, making it a 4-2 game.  

Looking to keep it a close game, the Purple Eagles retired two out of the first three batters to start the 7th inning, leaving a runner on first. The Vikings would take a 7-2 lead two hits later, on a homerun by Josh Hungerman. Niagara would respond with only one run in its final three at-bats.

Senior Chris Coleman (Pittsford, N.Y.) went 6.2 innings during the loss, while striking out two. Sophomore Brian Deering (Springfield, Va.) had two hits for the Purple Eagles.

Niagara's focus now changes to hosting New York Tech in a three-game, weekend series, which begins on Saturday at noon.