LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Niagara Purple Eagles split Saturday's doubleheader with an 8-5 win in game one to win the weekend series against the Rider Brincs.
 
Game One
The Purple Eagles (12-22; 5-8 MAAC) led throughout in an 8-5 win over the Broncs (11-22; 4-6 MAAC) in game one of Saturday's twin billing.
 
Joel Brophy led the both teams with three RBIs in the early game. The first two capped a four-run top of the first when the catcher sent a single to left field that cashed in both Taylor Hackett and Jordan Schwartz to make the lead 4-0.  The third and final RBI came on a sacrifice fly in the fifth that extended the lead to 6-4.
 
Geoff Seto collected two RBIs in the fifth with a single up the middle that built the Purple and White's lead to 8-4 by the end of the frame. Rider scored another run in the bottom of the sixth inning, the only earned run it would get off of NU pitcher Geoff Soja, but they would not come any closer on the way to the 8-5 by Niagara.
 
Soja earned the win out of the bullpen after pitching 5.1 innings allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits and three strikeouts. Schwartz, Brophy, and Greg Rodgers all went 2-for-3 at the plate.
 
Game Two
Niagara again led throughout most of the game in the late start, but a four-run sixth inning from the Broncs tied the game and a double in last of the ninth gave the hosts a 10-9 win to avoid the sweep.
 
NU did most of its scoring in the early going beginning with Rodgers bringing home a run in the second with a single to right before scoring on a wild pitch to give his team a 2-0 lead.  Rodgers earned his second RBI of the game in the fourth with another single that started a five-run fourth inning for Niagara.  Another two runs on a Seto single and a groundout from Anthony Firenzi in the fifth gave the visitors a 9-5 lead.
 
Rider was able to score four runs in the bottom of the sixth, all of which went down as unearned, to tie the game at 9-9 before a double in the bottom of the ninth gave it the 10-9 victory to close out the series.
 
Soja took the loss out of the pen after giving up the one run on two hits in the final 1.2 innings. Hackett went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored in the final game.
 
The team continues its road swing next Saturday when it begins its series against the Iona Gaels with a doubleheader at noon