NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. - The Niagara baseball team (20-32, 14-7 MAAC) dropped its final non-conference contest of the season to Duquesne (14-38) at Sal Maglie Stadium on Tuesday, 9-8. The Purple Eagles vaulted to a 7-1 lead, but the Dukes slowly chipped away and scored the game-winning runs in the ninth inning.

The Purple Eagles committed seven of the game's 11 errors, including three in the sixth inning. The Dukes scored eight runs in the game's final four innings to pull away with the win. Niagara staged a comeback in the ninth inning, including a pinch-hit RBI by Matt Lucchesi (San Francisco, Calif.), but Cam Stykemain's (Defiance, Ohio) fly ball to right field ended the contest with Graham Skelhorne-Gross (Mississauga, Ont.) stranded on third base.

Freshman left-hander James Fort (Cooperstown, N.Y.) received his first career start, tossing six-plus innings while allowing six runs, five earned. He cruised through the first five innings, working in and out of jams and stranding five runners before NU errors and the Duquesne offense caught up to the rookie. He struck out four batters while walking only two.

Offensively, Matt Wietlispach (Chicago, Ill.) continued his recent hot play, smashing three hits in the loss. He knocked in a run and scored another in the Purple Eagles' four-run fourth inning. Stykemain collected a pair of hits in the loss, while third baseman Trevor Rutkowski (Crystal Lake, Ill.) knocked in a team-high three runs while scoring twice.

The Purple Eagles will strive to make the MAAC Tournament by winning one game at Canisius on Thursday or Friday. Follow all the action at the GameDay Central Page.