JERSEY CITY, N.J. – The Niagara Purple Eagles got conference play started with an 11-2 win over the Saint Peter's Peacocks on Saturday afternoon at Jaroschak Field.
 
Zachary Kolodziejski got his third-straight win after giving up two runs, one earned, and striking out five in 7.0 innings in the start. Anthony Firenzi and Trevor McCauley both collected three RBIs on a pair of hits.
 
The Purple Eagles (4-13-1; 1-0 MAAC) put nine runs on the board over the opening three frames to jump out to a 9-0 lead. McCauley singled up the middle to plate the opening two runs of the afternoon before Nick Bernick drew a bases-loaded walk to put NU up 3-0 after the first inning.
 
Taylor Hackett scored the first of four runs in the fourth after a failed pickoff attempt at first. Firenzi brought two runners home with a double to right field and was brought home on McCauley's double to right-center field. With a 7-0 lead heading into the third, Thomas Rodrigues singled with two runners on base to score Owen Dziados. Firenzi, the next batter to the plate, collected his last RBI of the game with a single through the right side that extended the lead to 9-0.
 
Kolodziejski retired the first six batters he faced. A runner moved into scoring position in the top of the third, but the freshman got a groundball out to get out of the frame. Another three-up, three-down inning in the fourth kept Saint Peter's (1-13: 1-3 MAAC) off balance.
 
The Peacocks were able to score two runs on two hits and an error over the sixth and seventh innings to cut the lead to 9-2. That was as close as they would get as the Purple Eagles got two-out singles from Michael Fuhrman and Rodrigues put NU back up by nine, 11-2. Tyler Saundry got the final six outs on the mound and gave up just two hits over his two innings to give his squad the 11-2 win.
 
Firenzi and Rodrigues both went 2-for-4 with a walk and McCauley finished 2-for-5.
 
The second game of the doubleheader was postponed. The teams will wrap up the series with a pair of games tomorrow beginning with a seven-inning game at noon. 

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