MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. – Lafayette softball wrapped up its seven-game stint at The Spring Games in the Sunshine State with a pair of losses (8-0, 7-0) in a doubleheader vs. Niagara on Tuesday afternoon.
 
In game one, Niagara scored six runs in the third inning and held Lafayette to one hit in the game.
 
In the top of the second, Niagara put the lead-off batter on with a double, but the Leopard defense stepped in and squashed the scoring opportunity. Julia Romano made a diving play at second for the second out of the inning and Leopard starter Jacqueline Cal enticed her second flyout of the inning to keep the game scoreless.
 
Niagara batted around its order and put six runs on the board in the third inning. The Purple Eagles were aided by a pair of errors and five straight hits (three doubles and two singles) to lead 6-0. They added two more runs in the top of the fifth.
 
Lafayette was held hitless by Niagara starter Maddie Higginbottom until the bottom of the fifth. With two outs in the inning, Natasha Miner lifted a 2-2 pitch over the left fielder's head for a double. For the game, Lafayette put five batters on base (two walks, a hit batter, a dropped third strike and Miner's hit).
 
Higginbottom struck out 11 for the win. Of the eight runs that were charged to Cal, only three were earned. She scattered nine hits, struck out five and did not walk a batter.
 
Game two saw Niagara score four runs on six hits in the third inning and three more on four hits in the sixth.
 
Lafayette had its best scoring chance in the visitor fifth inning, as Kaya Ciccone-Cozart and Erica Brasher led off the inning with singles. The next batter, Miner, ripped a liner to first base where Brasher was doubled off. Niagara reliever Julia Thompson, who collected the pitching win, struck out Harlie Bickett to end the threat.
 
Lafayette put the lead-off batter on in every inning but the second, leaving seven runners stranded in the game.
 
Kinzi Van Wyk took the loss, giving up three earned runs on seven hits with a strikeout and two walks.
 
The Leopards will head north to Maryland, playing five games over Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the UMBC Spring Classic.