It was a beautiful evening at the ballpark on Aug. 22, 2013, as more than 200 Niagara University students, alumni and employees attended the Buffalo Bisons game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at Coca-Cola Field.
For Niagarans, the night was well underway long before the initial crack of the bat. A pregame picnic welcomed the Niagara contingent, a group that eagerly anticipated the game’s ceremonial first pitch, as it was being offered by the Rev. James J. Maher, C.M., NU’s president since Aug. 1.
Father Maher didn’t disappoint, delivering a strike to Buster Bison, the home team’s mascot, as the fans (especially in sections 118 and 120) roared with approval.
The Niagara representation continued midway through the second inning, with members of the Niagara University Danceline tossing NU t-shirts into the crowd.
And during the seventh-inning stretch, Phoebe Wright, a junior theatre major at Niagara, sang a resplendent version of “God Bless America.”