SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Freshman Christian Vangeison recorded a pair of RBIs to give him a team-high five on the year but the Purple Eagles dropped their third-straight game on Sunday to 20-3 to the University of Kentucky.
 
Vangeison, who has at least one RBI in each of the first three games, tied the game at 1-1 in the Niagara (0-3) half of the first.  With two runners on he sent a single up the middle to score Michael Fuhrman, who had reached on a single of his own, from third. 
 
“It was another tough day but I am starting to see some bright spots as we continue to work the kinks out,” head coach Rob McCoy said after the game.
 
Kentucky (2-0) pulled away over the course of the next five innings, scoring 17 runs, before Vangeison would bring home another run in the bottom of the sixth.  A double to left field would bring Kevin Paulsen around to score and gave Niagara its second run of the afternoon.
 
The Purple Eagles got onto the board one more time in the bottom of the seventh.  Freshman Greg Rodgers got on base with a single before crossing the plate after a Hackett double to left.  Kentucky went on to score two more runs over the last three innings to come away with a 20-3 win.
 
On offense, Hackett went 2-for-2 at the plate and Vangeison finished 2-for-4.  Kody Kasper (0-1) started on the mound and took the loss.
 
The Purple Eagles take the diamond tomorrow at 1:15 p.m. against Wofford in a make-up for the game that was cancelled yesterday.