LEWISBURG, Pa. – A late solo home run from Ryan McCauley wasn’t enough to lift the Niagara baseball team over the Bucknell Bison, dropping a 4-3 contest on Sunday afternoon at Depew Field. 
 
The Purple Eagles (3-5) went into the bottom of the ninth inning trailing the Bison (6-3) 4-2.  McCauley stepped to the plate with one out and hit a home run over the right field wall to bring Niagara within a run, forcing Bucknell’s Dan Weigel out of the game. 
 
Eric Hink was able to draw a walk to get another runner on base, but Niagara couldn’t bring him around for the tying run.
 
“Weigel did a fantastic job against us for the second time this season,” head coach Rob McCoy said.  “I thought we played well in all phases of the game.  Today, they just outplayed us.”

For the first time in the series Bucknell would strike first, putting up three runs in the first inning on a pair of singles and a pair of doubles.  The Bison scored another run in the third  inning to extend the lead to 4-0.
 
Niagara began chipping away at the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Hink collected his first hit of the game, doubling down the left field line.  After advancing to third base on a wild pitch, the third baseman scored on a Jon Wilson infield single.
  
After having a chance to cut into the deficit in the sixth inning, Niagara struck again in the seventh inning as Hink and Wilson would pair up again to cut the lead to 4-2.  Hink singled, advanced on a wild pitch and a groud out and scored on another Wilson single.  
 
Hink led the way offensively for Niagara, going 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.  Joel Klock received the loss after giving up four runs in 4.1 innings with one strikeout. Wilson finished the series going 4-for-9 at the plate and knocking in four RBIs.
 
Niagara is back in action on Tuesday when they head to West Virginia to take on the Mountaineers in a doubleheader starting at one p.m.