NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles (6-25) picked up their third straight victory, defeating crosstown rival Canisius (17-16), 3-1, in a midweek non-conference matchup on Wednesday.

Game Recap

• Cole O'Connor picked up the first hit of the day for the Purple Eagles, singling to right field in the bottom of the first inning.
• In the bottom of the second inning, Max Giordano hit a lead-off homerun to left field, giving the Purple Eagles a 1-0 lead over the Griffs. Back-to-back singles from Eli Selby and Spencer Marcus put two runners on base for NU and an RBI single from Matt Ward scored Selby to give Niagara a 2-0 lead.
• Canisius got on the board in the top of the third after an RBI single to cut Niagara's lead in half, 2-1.
• In the bottom of the fourth frame, a single to right field from Dawson Bailey scored Selby, who led off the inning with a single, to put Niagara ahead of the Griffs, 3-1.
• The defenses battled it out for the remainder of the game and Niagara came out on top, 3-1.

Eagle's Eye On

• Selby and Cole Tucker led the Purple Eagles in hits with two each. Bailey, O'Connor, Giordano, Marcus and Matt Ward combined for the remainder of NU's nine hits on the day.
• Bailey, Giordano and Matt Ward each earned one RBI.
• Drew Patton struck out two and gave up just one walk in 2.0 hitless innings in a no-decision start.
• Kyle Smyth (1-1) earned his first win of the season, fanning two and allowing one run on one hit in 2.0 innings pitched.
• Jacob Bruning tossed 2.0 solid innings out of the bullpen. He fanned four and gave up just one hit.
• Zach Cameron earned his second save of the season, striking out one and allowing only one hit in 1.2 innings pitched.

Up Next

• Niagara hosts Siena for a three-game MAAC series April 22-24.

Stay connected with Niagara Baseball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Follow Niagara Athletics all year long on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and purpleeagles.com