NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After taking game one yesterday, the Sacred Heart University baseball dropped game two of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) series to Niagara Saturday afternoon, 9-5.
 
Records
SHU: 18-21 (11-10 MAAC)
Niagara: 12-21 (7-11 MAAC)
 
Pitching
Elijah Foster: 4.0 IP, 3 R (3 ER), 5 H, 6 BB, 5 SO
Ryan Redmond: 3.0 IP, 6 R (5 ER), 5 H, 3 BB, 2 SO
Charlie Costello: 1.0 IP, 2 H
 
Hitting
Dante D'Amore: 3 H, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 HR
Alex Ungar: 2 H, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 2B
Ronan Donohue: 2 H, 1 R
 
How it Happened
Sacred Heart found itself in an early hole on Saturday, as Niagara jumped out with a solo home run on the first pitch of the game. SHU starter Elijah Foster worked through some early trouble, loading the bases but showing poise to escape the inning with a big strikeout and leave three Purple Eagles stranded.
 
The Pioneers quickly answered back in the third, when Peter Link ripped a double to left center to score Ronan Donohue and tie the game at 1-1.
 
However, the tie was short-lived, as Niagara responded with a two-run home run in the bottom of the frame to retake a 3-1 lead.
 
In the fifth, Alex Ungar delivered with a double down the left field line to bring Dave Yorke home and pull SHU within one, 3-2. Niagara tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to extend its lead to 4-2.
Sacred Heart continued to show its fight as Dante D'Amore crushed a solo home run on a 1-2 pitch to make it a one-run game once again, 4-3. Niagara answered immediately with an RBI single to push the margin back to two.
 
The seventh inning proved to be a wild one. SHU kept battling, tying the game at 5-5 thanks to an RBI single from D'Amore and a productive RBI groundout by Tim McGuire. But the Purple Eagles erupted for four runs in the bottom half to swing momentum back their way, taking a 9-5 lead.
 
Despite the Pioneers' battle, SHU couldn't mount another rally and ultimately fell to Niagara.
 
Up Next
The series finale with Purple Eagles is set for noon tomorrow at Bobo Field.