A Late Surge Secures the Win
The Eagles closed out their non-conference schedule with a 7-5 victory over Mercyhurst, snapping a six-game stretch that had left them just above .500. The win pushed Niagara to 24-17-1, while the Lakers slipped to 15-30.
Early in the game, Shawn Cameron drove in the first run with a timely RBI single in the bottom of the second inning. Mercyhurst answered in the third with Darek Staudt’s two-run homer, but Niagara quickly tied the contest when Ganschow delivered an RBI double in the same frame.
The momentum shifted again when Jacob Brooks nudged Nate Milk home with a fielder’s choice, giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead. Hammill then exploded with a three-run homer that stretched the advantage to 6-2, a swing that would prove decisive.
Pitching changes kept the game lively. Andrew Baumgart was replaced by John Ondus in the fourth, and later Johnny Montgomery threw two shutout innings starting in the sixth, preserving the lead. Rece Allensworth’s relief appearance allowed a two-run homer by Black in the eighth, but the Eagles remained ahead.
Andrew Damiani capped the night with his 11th save of the season, tying the single-season record for the Purple Eagles. The closer also recorded his first hit of the year, while Ondus earned his first win of the campaign.
The victory extended Niagara’s all-time edge over Mercyhurst to 6-5 and kept star hitter Hammill on an 11-game hitting streak. With the regular season winding down, the Eagles will now turn their attention to a three-game conference series against Mount St. Mary's beginning May 13.