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BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo Bulls and the Niagara Purple Eagles split a doubleheader this afternoon at the UB Softball Stadium, with the Bulls cruising to a 4-0 shutout in game one and the Purple Eagles bouncing back for a 6-4 win in game two. Buffalo is now 7-22 on the season while Niagara moves to 5-27.

Heather Robbins

The Bulls took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of the opener on freshman Ann Marie Magur's (Endicott, NY/Union-Endicott/Connecticut) third home run of the season that also scored sophomore Breanne Nasti (Baldwin, NY/Baldwin) who reached base on a double down the left field line. A triple to center by freshman Melissa Pace (Long Beach, CA/Millikan) in the second inning scored sophomore Heather Robbins (West Bloomfield, MI/West Bloomfield) who led off the inning with a walk, and Robbins scored the final run of the game in the fourth inning on a wild pitch by Niagara's Kristin Willebrandt. Robbins got credit for the win on the mound, going the complete game and allowing just six hits. The Purple Eagles left 11 runners on base in the game, and the Bulls got out of bases-loaded threats in the fifth and sixth innings with key defensive grabs in center and left field by Magur and sophomore Allison Round (Markham, Ontario/Markham District), respectively. Willebrandt allowed just four hits and gave up three earned runs for the Purple Eagles.

The Bulls again took an early lead in game two when Nasti tripled and then crossed the plate on a single by Magur in the bottom of the first inning. The Purple Eagles turned things around in the third, however, scoring three runs on two hits and taking advantage of two Buffalo errors. Lisa Hess scored Niagara's first run of the game when catcher Missy Switzer's (West Seneca, NY/West Seneca West) throw got past shortstop Marce Ross (Innisfil, Ontario/St. Peter's) on Hess' steal of third base. A fielding error by Melissa Pace allowed Angie Clark to score Niagara's second run, and a double to center by Brooke Bradburn brought home Jamie Horn with the third run of the inning. The Bulls cut the lead in half with a run in the bottom of the third, but Niagara answered with two more runs in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Colleen Larsen and an RBI-single by Nikki Nye. Round homered in the bottom of the fifth for Buffalo to make the score 5-3, and the teams exchanged runs in the seventh for the 6-4 final. Another double by Bradburn scored pinch-runner Lauren Dombrowski for the Purple Eagles, and Nasti scored for the Bulls on a throwing error by NU's Krissy Costanzo. Freshman pitcher Stacey Evans (Collinsville, IL/Triad) threw the complete game for the Bulls, allowing just three earned runs and striking out seven. Ashleigh Barber picked up her second win of the year for Niagara, and Willebrandt came on in relief in the fifth inning to pick up the save.

The Bulls now take to the road for a three-game Mid-American Conference series at Bowling Green over the weekend. Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game are both set to begin at 1 pm.