GAME 46
SCORE	Canisius 14 – Niagara 4
RECORDS	Canisius (23-26, 16-6 MAAC) – Niagara (14-32, 8-14 MAAC)
LOCATION	Bobo Field

 
NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles earned a walk-off win in extra innings in game two of a doubleheader with crosstown rival Canisius to split Thursday's set of games.

Game Recap

• The Griffs got on the board first, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.
• In the bottom of the first, Peter Battaglia homered to left field, cutting Canisius' lead in half, 2-1. It was Battaglia's team-leding 10^th homerun of the season.
• Canisius, however, dominated the next few innings, adding five runs in the third, three in the fifth and one in the sixth to take an 11-1 lead over NU.
• In the bottom of the seventh, a sacrifice fly from Jacob Bruning scored Darian Blanks to put the Purple Eagles down by nine, 11-2.
• Joey Battaglia then hit a solo homerun to center field in the bottom of the eighth inning to cut the Griffs' lead to eight, 11-3.
• Three more runs from Canisius in the top of the ninth frame once again gave the Griffs a double-digit lead over Niagara, 14-3.
• In the bottom of the ninth, a sacrifice fly from Cole O'Connor scored Bruning, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Griffs as they took game one, 14-4.

Eagle's Eye On…

• This is the first ever game in which the Battaglia brothers have each hit a homerun.
• Marty Cole led the Purple Eagles with a career-high three hits. Blanks and Benny Serrano each added two hits.
• Bruning, O'Connor and both Battaglia brothers each recorded one RBI.
• On the mound, Tyler Howard (3-9) took the loss. He struck out seven, just one short of his career-high. He allowed three hits and nine earned runs in 4.2 innings pitched.

 

GAME 47
SCORE	Niagara 3 – Canisius 2 (12 innings)
RECORDS	Niagara (15-32, 9-14 MAAC) - Canisius (23-27, 16-7 MAAC)
LOCATION	Bobo Field

 
Game Recap

• Game two was a defensive battle between the Purple Eagles and the Griffs.
• Niagara got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead off an RBI single from O'Connor in the bottom of the fourth inning.
• An RBI single from Peter Battaglia in the bottom of the fifth extend NU's lead, 2-0.
• The Griffs tied things up, 2-2, in the top of the seventh and held Niagara off in the bottom of the inning, forcing the game, which was scheduled for seven innings, into extras.
• The Purple Eagles and the Griffs battled through the remainder of the game, each trying to come up with the win to earn the victory in the annual Battle of the Bridge series.
• In the top of the 12^th inning, with runners on first and third, Serrano came up big with a beautiful safety squeeze bunt to the Griffs' pitcher to score Bailey and earn Niagara the walk-off win.

Eagle's Eye On…

• Bailey led NU with three hits, while Cole, Serrano and Matthew Grace each added two hits.
• Battaglia, Serrano and O'Connor each had one RBI.
• Bailey led the team in runs scored with two.
• Kyle Smyth (3-1) picked up the win, striking out a season-high five batters in 4.0 innings pitched. He allowed just one hit and two walks.
• Tommy Bednarski earned the start on the mound, fanning a career-high six in 5.0 innings pitched. He gave up just three hits and three walks.  

Up Next

• The Purple Eagles close out the season on Friday, May 17 with their final game against Canisius at 12:00 p.m. Niagara will celebrate Senior Day prior to the start of the game.

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