RIVERDALE, N.Y. - The Niagara baseball team (9-8 MAAC) dropped both games of its Saturday doubleheader against Manhattan (9-5 MAAC) in Riverdale, N.Y. The Purple Eagles dropped game one 5-2 before falling in game two 12-1.

Manhattan 5, Niagara 2
The Purple Eagle bullpen wasted a solid start from senior Daniel Morari in the opening game loss. Morari tossed six innings of one-run baseball and exited at the top of the seventh with a 2-1 lead, however the jaspers struck for two runs in the seventh and eighth innings for the victory.

Senior Trevor Rutkowski singled home classmate Matt Wietlispach in the fifth inning and he came around to score on freshman Ryan McCauley's RBI-single for a 2-1 Niagara lead.

Manhattan scored in the first inning after Morari issued a two-out walk followed by a double down the left field line.

In the seventh, freshman Tyler Scott hit the first batter of the inning and walked his second and final batter. Senior Dennis Chachko issued a bases-loaded walk that tied the game, before a Jasper groundout plated the go-ahead run. Manhattan scored a pair of insurance runs off Chachko in the eighth to round out the scoring. Scott took the loss and fell to 0-2 on the season.

Junior Cam Stykemain had two singles in the loss, while senior Timothy Cozier stole a pair of bases.

Manhattan 12, Niagara 1
Senior Marcus Spaulding returned to the starting rotation for the first time in conference play this season and was done in by one tough inning. The righthander allowed six runs in the second inning, four earned, while picking up the loss.

Manhattan's Kevin Neito belted a two-out three run home run and two more runs came across after a fielding miscue.

The Purple Eagles took a 1-0 lead after a Stykemain double and a McCauley single.

The Purple Eagles and Jaspers complete their three-game set Sunday at noon.