NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (Interstat) — Nate Bennett authored a masterful performance, carrying a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and leading the Niagara Purple Eagles to a 4-0 victory over the Merrimack Warriors in the first game of a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday.

The sophomore left-hander was dominant, striking out eight and walking one over seven hitless innings before being lifted after 86 pitches. He faced just one batter over the minimum, with a walk and two Niagara errors representing the only blemishes. Bennett retired the final 10 batters he faced.

The most critical sequence of the game came in the bottom of the seventh, immediately after Bennett departed. Reliever Luke Glenn inherited a 4-0 lead and promptly allowed back-to-back singles to Greg Cristino and Craigue Brooks, representing Merrimack’s first hits of the day. With two on and no outs, Glenn induced a ground ball from McKinnon Brett that Niagara third baseman Jacob Brooks turned into a crucial 5-4-3 double play, snuffing out the Warriors’ only serious scoring threat.

Niagara’s offense provided Bennett with all the support he would need with a pair of two-run rallies. The Purple Eagles broke through in the third inning against Merrimack starter Nick Hunkele. Noah Konings singled and scored when Tyler ViVacqua doubled and later came home on an RBI single by Rees Kozar.

They doubled their lead in the seventh against reliever Michael Bradshaw. Carmen Panaro and Konings singled, advanced on a passed ball, and both scored on a two-run single through the right side by ViVacqua.

Vivacqua finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs to pace Niagara’s 12-hit attack. Panaro added two hits and an RBI, while Konings and Elijha Hammill also had two hits apiece.

Hunkele took the loss for Merrimack, allowing two runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out three. Bradshaw surrendered two runs on four hits in two innings of relief.

After Glenn worked a scoreless eighth, Andrew Damiani closed out the combined four-hit shutout in the ninth, striking out the side around a walk and a single to strand the bases loaded.

The victory improved Niagara’s record to 2-9, while Merrimack fell to 3-6. The teams were scheduled to conclude the doubleheader later Saturday.

Bennett’s outing continued a remarkable run of form. In his previous start on Feb. 28 against Portland, he threw five no-hit innings before exiting. The Purple Eagles’ win also marked a positive start to a 10-game road trip.

Merrimack, which had scored 24 runs in a game last week, was shut out for the second time this season.