NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. - On a day that saw a combined 40 runs with 10 homeruns by both teams, the Niagara Purple Eagles split a doubleheader against the Monmouth Hawks on Saturday afternoon at Bobo Field.
 
Game One
Four Purple Eagles hit home runs and Thomas Rodrigues led the way with four RBIs in a 14-13 loss in a 10-inning first game.
 
Niagara (9-19-2; 6-5 MAAC) found itself down 6-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning before it began to rally. Anthony Firenzi hit s round-tripper to right to get NU on the board. Later in the frame, with runners on second and third and one out, Geoff Seto singled to center field and brought Christian Vangeison and Joel Brophy around to score to cut the deficit to 6-3.
 
After Monmouth (11-17; 5-6 MAAC) scored three more runs in the top of the third, the Purple Eagles again answered in the bottom of the inning. Michael Fuhrman launched second homerun of the season to centerfield and made it a 9-4 game. Brophy added the first homerun of his career in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 9-5 and cut further into the deficit.
 
The visitors added a run in the sixth, but the floodgates opened in the bottom of the seventh as the Purple Eagles took their first lead of the game. Firenzi led off the frame with a single to left field, followed by a Vangeison double to right field. A sac fly by Brophy to center field brought home Firenzi before Daniel Procopio entered the game as a pinch hitter and sent a single through the right side to score Vangeison. Seto then walked and Tyler Lau singled up the middle to give the Purple Eagles the bases loaded and one out. Tanner Kirwer hit a sacrifice fly to center to cut the lead to 10-8. That's when Thomas Rodrigues stepped to the plate and sent a three-run homerun to right field and gave Niagara the 11-10 lead.
 
The lead changed hands again as the Hawks scored three runs in their half of the eighth to take a 13-11 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Seto led off the NU half of the inning with a single through the left side, followed by back-to-back walks form Lau and Kirwer to give Niagara the bases loaded with no outs. Rodrigues brought the Purple Eagles within a run after he drove in Seto with a single to left field. Fuhrman hit a sacrifice-fly to right field that scored Lau and tied the game at 13-13.
 
The Hawks hit what proved to be the game winning homerun in the top of the tenth inning and held Niagara off of the board in the last of the tenth as NU dropped the first game of the doubleheader 14-13 in extras.
 
Zachary Kolodziejski got the start for the Purple and White and took the loss, his first in conference play. Michael Bucci was able to hold the Hawks at bay, giving up just one run over three innings in relief.
 
Game Two
Rodrigues came up big again in game two with a grand slam in the fifth as Niagara took the second game of the day 9-4.
 
Both teams were scoreless going through the first three innings before Monmouth plated three runs on two this to go up 3-0.
 
The Purple Eagles roared back in the bottom of the fifth. Trevor McCauley led off with a bunt single and advanced to second on a throwing error. Seto singled through the right side and Taylor Hackett walked to load the bases with no outs in the inning. Tanner Kirwer singled to center field to score McCauley to cut the deficit to two, 3-1. That was when Rodrigues hit second homerun of the afternoon, this time a grand slam, and put his team in the lead, 5-3.
 
Monmouth answered with a run in the top of the sixth, but the Purple Eagles put the game out of the reach with four runs in the bottom of the frame. Brophy led off with a double the center field, McCauley walked, and Seto laid down a sac bunt, to give Niagara two runners in scoring position with one out. Hackett singled to right field and gave his team a 7-3 lead. Kirwer and Rodrigues both reached on singles, Fuhrman reached on a fielder's choice that scored Hackett and Kirwer and give Niagara a 9-4 lead. Procopio kept the Hawks off of the board to earn the save and cement the win.  
 
Ben Zaccagnino started on the bump for Niagara and had a no-decision after giving up three runs over four innings of work. Mac Curran recorded his first career win with a scoreless inning of relief.
 
The top of the NU order, Kirwer, Rodrigues, and Fuhrman went a combined 11-for-25 on the day. By himself, Rodrigues went 5-for-10 with two homeruns and eight RBIs.
 
These two teams meet for the rubber match of the series tomorrow at noon. 

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