AKRON, OHIO – The Niagara softball team (15-15) split a pair of games at Mid-American Conference opponent the Akron Zips (18-28) on Tuesday afternoon at Jackson Field. The Purple Eagles eased past the Zips 9-2 in game one, but had its seventh inning rally fall short in a 6-4 defeat.

"We are doing a very nice job handling adversity, like injuries, that we cannot control; today was another example of that," head coach Al Dirschberger said.

Niagara 9, Akron 2

Niagara cruised to the victory despite committing four errors through the first three innings.

Freshman Alexis Wayne had a career-high four RBIs in game one. In the second inning, Wayne launched a three-run home run to put Niagara up 3-1. After an error in the third inning allowed the Zips to score one run, the Purple Eagles scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead.

Wayne drove home her fourth RBI with a single to score Becky Zill. Seniors Kristin Kill and Jenna Baker stepped up with big hits in the inning. Kill’s RBI single scored the inning’s second run and Baker hit a double to center field to score two more runs.

Junior third baseman Kayla Hines also got into the action. Hines hit a solo home run in the fifth and had a sacrifice fly in the seventh to cap the scoring for Niagara at 9-2.

Julie DiMatteo, who was recently named MAAC and ECAC Pitcher of the Week, had another complete game on her way to her fourth-straight win.

Niagara 4, Akron 6

The Purple Eagles headed into the fifth inning down 1-0 after a solo home run in the second inning. Niagara had loaded the bases with two outs when an error by the Zips third basemen allowed Kill to score to tie the game at 1-1.
Akron scored five runs on six hits in its half of the fifth inning to take a 6-1 lead.

Niagara refused to go away quietly and staged a rally in the seventh inning with two outs. Baker hit a triple to score Sito from first base for her fourth RBI on the doubleheader. Jen Hare, then, hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to 6-4, before Zill grounded out to end the game. 

Niagara continues its Ohio road trip in a doubleheader against Youngstown State on Wednesday starting at 3 p.m.