Game One Vs. SPC Box Score | Game Two Vs. SPC Box Score

JERSEY CITY, N.J. - The Niagara softball team (12-27, 5-7 MAAC) swept the host Saint Peter's Peahens (5-42, 1-13 MAAC) in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. Niagara defeated the Peahens 11-1 in game one, while taking game two by a 10-0 score.

The Purple Eagles have now outscored the Peahens by a 135-47 margin in the last 13 meetings between the two teams.

"Today was a very good day for us," head coach Al Dirschberger said. "We had good, quality at-bats and our defense was solid. Our pitching shut down our foes."

Niagara 11, Saint Peter's 1
Saint Peter's would draw first blood with a run in the first inning, but the Purple Eagles would respond with five runs on three hits and two errors in the top of the third inning, the beginning of 11 unanswered runs for Niagara. An error after junior Becky Zill put the ball into play gave Niagara a 2-1 lead, scoring sophomore Brittany Richberg and junior Gabrielle Lustrinelli. Niagara played small ball to score three more runs, including run-scoring singles by seniors Jennifer Hare and Jaclyn Russell and a run-inducing ground out by freshman Amanda Arendt. 

Two innings later, the Purple Eagles would score three more runs for an 8-1 lead. Two walks and a single by Russell loaded the bases for Lustrinelli, who smacked a bases-clearing double for three runs.

Niagara would score again in the top of the seventh inning, with Lustrinelli picking up her fourth RBI of the game on a single to center field for a 9-1 lead. Two batters later, sophomore Jessica Hitchcock would drill a double to center field to push two more runners across home plate for an 11-1 lead.

Russell went 4-for-4 at the plate in game one, with three singles, a double and an RBI. The Rochester, N.Y. native's performance in game one was one hit shy of tying the Niagara Single-Game Hits record, set by three players.

Hitchcock finished game one going 3-for-5 at the plate, including two doubles, a single and two RBIs.

Sophomore Kim Bryson went the distance for Niagara in the win, striking out six batters. The Ohio native is now 38 strikeouts behind Joni Sontrop (178) for Niagara's Single-Season Strikeout record.

Niagara 10, Saint Peter's 0
Unlike game one, Niagara dented the scoreboard first in game two, scoring seven runs in the top of the second inning. Lustrinelli capitalized on two earlier walks to Russell and Arendt, hitting a single to give Niagara a 1-0 lead.

A Richberg single would load the bases, while freshman Ambur Farmer drew a walk to score Niagara's second run of the game. Zill would smack her second double of the game to give the Purple Eagles a four-run cushion.

With Farmer on third base and Zill on second base, junior Alexis Wayne smashed a three-run home run over the center field wall for a 7-0 lead.

Wayne would strike again for Niagara in the fourth inning. After Farmer hit a single and Hare was hit by a pitch, the Cheektowaga, N.Y. native hit her second home run of the day, another three-run shot for a 10-0 lead. Wayne's six RBIs tied Niagara's Single-Game RBIs record, set by three players.

Senior Bri Allen was masterful for the Purple Eagles, allowing just four baserunners during the complete-game win, while striking out five.

The Purple Eagles have now won their last three games by a combined score of 31-3.

Niagara begins a seven-game homestand to close out the regular season on Tuesday, hosting Syracuse in a single game on Tuesday at 1 p.m.