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Softball

Niagara Nips Top Seed Fairfield In 10 innings, 4-2


Kristin Kill

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – It took 10 innings, but the Niagara softball team knocked off No. 1 Fairfield, 4-2, in the opening round of the MAAC Tournament on Thursday afternoon. Junior Kristin Kill (South Portland, Maine) drove in the game-winning run with a two-run single in the 10th inning.

 

No. 4 Niagara (28-17) never trailed in the game and twice took one run leads from solo blasts. All-MAAC First Team member Teresa Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) belted her league leading 11th home run with a shot to left field on a full count with two outs in first inning. Fairfield (21-27) tied the game with a homer in the second, but Kristin Sito (Elyria, Ohio) regained Niagara’s one-run lead by launching a solo shot to left field in the third.

 

The game stayed at 2-1 until the sixth inning, where Niagara committed two costly errors. The second error occurred when Niagara tried to turn a double play; the ensuing throw by Healy landed in the dugout and the Stags would score one run on the play to tie the game at 2-2.

 

The teams managed two hits between them heading into the tenth inning.  Jen Hare (Tonawanda, N.Y.) singled to be the first base runner in the inning and later advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Melissa Markle (Orchard Park, N.Y.).  Sito followed with a single to put two runners on and the next batter, Kill, picked up two RBIs with a single to left field to put NU up 4-2.  

 

Freshman pitcher Julie DiMatteo (South Portland, Maine) went nine innings in the win. Her pitching and the defense got Niagara out of several binds in the game. DiMatteo struck out batters to end the first and fourth innings with runners in scoring position. The final close call was in the tenth.  Fairfield loaded the bases with two outs on closer Patricia Kennery (Williamsville, N.Y.) when she got the final hitter to pop out to the shortstop to end the game.

 

Today’s victory was Niagara’s first win at the MAAC Tournament in 12 years. The Purple Eagles’ last win was their 2-1 win over archrival Canisius in the 1998 Championship Game. Niagara went on to take 2-out-3 against Robert Morris in an NCAA Play-In series and was rewarded with a spot in the NCAA Tournament and a trip to top-ranked Arizona.  The Purple Eagles went 0-2 in 2000, 2007 and 2008 in their last three MAAC tournament appearances.

 

Niagara will play No. 3 Canisius in game three of the tournament at 11 a.m. on Friday. The Purple Eagles split their season series at Canisius on April 9.

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