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Bronx, NY - Niagara (10-7) broke open a scoreless game with three runs in the fifth en route to posting a 10-2 win over Manhattan (3-13) in the MAAC opener for each team at Houlihan Park on the campus of Fordham University.
The teams will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow at 11:00 am.
In the bottom of the first, junior Brendan Bisset (New City, NY / Don Bosco Prep (NJ)) led off with a single before sophomore Fabian Pena (Miami, FL / Calusa Prep) followed with a single of his own. The pair then moved over to second-and-third but were left stranded.
Each team would threaten over the next three innings before the Purple Eagles finally broke through with three runs in the fifth despite not having a ball leave the infield.
Niagara added five runs in the sixth before tacking on single scores in the seventh and eighth in extending the lead out to 10-0.
In the ninth, the Jaspers would get on the board thanks to a Dominic Palma (Fr., Hilton, NY / Hilton) RBI double and a Forlow run-scoring ground out in providing the final 10-2 count.
Eight of the nine regulars reached safely for a Manhattan attack that rapped out six hits. Bisset's first-inning single also extending his team-best hitting streak to eight.
Senior LHP Joe Jacques (Shrewsbury, NJ / Red Bank Regional) was saddled with the loss, yielding six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts over 5.2 innings.
Joel Brophy and Greg Cullen each had two hits and two RBI to pace a 13-hit Purple Eagle attack while Cody Eckerson struck out four over 6.0 shutout frames in earning the win.
