WAPPINGERS FALLS, NY. – An offensive explosion down the stretch gave the Niagara Purple Eagles a 7-2 win in game one of Saturday's split doubleheader against the Manhattan Jaspers at Dutchess Stadium.
 
Game One
Anthony Firenzi went 4-for-4, Joel Brophy went 4-for-5 with two RBIs, and Zachary Kolodziejski picked up his sixth win of the season as the Purple Eagles (10-21-2; 7-7 MAAC) took the series opener 7-2.
 
Kolodziejski allowed five hits through six innings as he kept the Jaspers (12-27; 6-11 MAAC) off balance. The hosts were able to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning, but it was their only lead of the game and it lasted one inning. Niagara tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth after Firenzi led off the frame with a single up the middle and later scored on a double from Geoff Seto.
 
Niagara took a 2-1 lead in the next frame with a RBI-single off of the bat of Mike Fuhrman. Manhattan tied the game in the bottom-half of the fifth with a RBI-single of its own. That run was their last of the game as Kolodziejski finished his day with a three-up, three-down sixth  and Matt McCuen gave up just on hit through his three scoreless innings.
 
A two-run seventh inning gave the lead back to the Purple and White. Joel Brophy plated both runs with a two-out single to left field that gave the visitors a 4-2 lead. More clutch hitting in the eighth put the game out of reach as NU scored three runs with two outs on the board to expand the lead to 7-2. Firenzi doubled to right field to plate one before Hayden Coll came off of the bench to hit a two-RBI single through the left side.
 
McCuen allowed just three baserunners through the final two innings to keep the Jaspers off of the board, cement the 7-2 win, and earn his first save of the season.
 
Brophy and Firenzi tied for a game-high four hits each while Brophy tied with Hayden Coll for the game-high with two RBIs.
 
Game Two
Niagara found itself in a hole early and was never able to get going in the second game of the afternoon and fell 7-0 to split the day.
 
The Jaspers were able to score four runs on six hits in the first to jump out to an early lead. They added another pair in the third and one more in the fourth to take the seven-run lead.
 
Ben Zaccagnino took the loss on the mound for Niagara.
 
These teams meet for the rubber match of the series tomorrow afternoon at Dutchess Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for noon.
 
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