NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - The Niagara softball team defeated Little Three Rival St. Bonaventure, 5-4, to conclude its non-conference and home schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The Purple Eagles are now 7-2 in their last nine games against the Bonnies.

Niagara (18-19) used a four-run fourth inning to overcome a 2-1 deficit en route to beating St. Bonaventure (11-25)  for the seventh time in the last nine meetings. Junior Teresa Healy hit her team-leading eighth home run to tie the game at 1-1 in the first inning. The Bonnies regain the lead in the third inning when catcher Brooke Frey hit her first of two home runs to give SBU a 2-1 lead.

Junior third baseman Kayla Hines, who was making her second career start as a pitcher, started the Niagara rally in the fourth inning with a leadoff double. Two batters later, Jen Hare singled up the middle to score Hines and tied the game. Senior Laynie Stillman lopped a single to left centerfield to give NU a 3-2 lead and fellow senior Kristin Kill smashed a double to centerfield to drive home two more runs.

Frey's two-run homer in the fifth inning brought the Bonnies to 5-4, but senior Cassie Stone kept St. Bonaventure off the scoreboard in the final two innings in three innings of relief work. Hines went 4.0 innings and had two strikeouts in her first career win.

Niagara now heads into the final weekend of MAAC play with series at Siena on Friday and Marist on Sunday.