NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. –  The Niagara Purple Eagles outlasted the Iona Gaels in the late game of Saturday's doubleheader to earn a split of the day's action.
 
Game One
All three runs came in the final three innings, but the Purple Eagles (13-23; 6-9 MAAC) couldn't recover from a pair of unearned runs in the bottom the sixth as they fell to Iona (7-25; 4-10 MAAC) 2-1 in the opener.
 
Jordan Schwartz led the series off on the mound for the Purple and White and, after the righty allowed a single in the bottom of the first, he didn't allow another runner to reach base until the fourth. The junior finished the day giving up the two unearned runs on seven hits with eight strikeouts through all eight innings.
 
A throwing error with one out and a Gael on base allowed the first run to score in the bottom of the sixth inning. The second came in the next at bat when the winning run scored on a wild pitch.
 
The Purple Eagles didn't waste any time responding with a run of their own. Pavel Chavez-Rusova opened the top of the seventh inning with a double down the leftfield line and was brought around two batters later on a Joel Brophy one-out single. 
 
Niagara had an opportunity to tie the game in the top of the ninth with runners on first and second with no outs after opening the inning with a pair of singles, but were unable to capitalize as the Gaels took game one by a score of 2-1.
 
Chavez-Rusova led the team at the plate with a 2-for-3 showing with a run scored.
 
Game Two
Freshman Cody Eckerson settled down after the first inning to shut the door on the Gaels and go the distance in NU's 4-3 win.
 
Niagara struck first with three runs in the top of the first frame. A bases-loaded single from Schwartz brought in two runs and a follow-up single from Taylor Hackett gave NU the 3-0 lead. That advantage was short lived, however as three runs from the Gaels in the bottom of the inning tied things up heading into the second.
 
From there on, Eckerson allowed just three more hits as he retired the side in order in the second, third, and fifth innings. The offense got the lead back in the third when a sac-fly from Greg Rodgers cashed in Michael Fuhrman, who led off the inning with a triple, from third to take a 4-3 lead.
 
Iona was shut out the rest of the way as Niagara earned the 4-3 win. Eckerson earned his first conference win in an outing that saw the lefty throw all seven innings and give up the three runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
 
These two teams head back to the field for the rubber game of the series tomorrow at noon.