Senior Andrea Crapo |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team returns to familiar surroundings when it hosts a pair of Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foes in its home-opening weekend at Niagara Field. The Purple Eagles play a two-game series against Iona College Saturday and another two-game series vs. Fairfield University Sunday. First pitch is at noon both days.
Niagara enters the weekend with an 11-17 overall record and a 3-1 MAAC mark. The Purple Eagles are tied with Rider in second place in the league. Fairfield, which is 1-0 in conference play, is in first.
Niagara is coming off a pair of non-conference losses at Colgate on Monday, but the Purple Eagles have won the series with Marist (3-2, 5-4) and split at Siena (L, 4-0; W, 3-2).
Junior Kristina Kilian is leading Niagara in hitting (.417) and is tied with transfer Cheryl Julicher (Williamsville, N.Y./Williamsville) for the team lead in home runs (3).
Julicher is also leading the Purple Eagles in triples (3) and RBI (20). Freshman Nicole Sum is batting .325 and has a team-best 25 hits, including a team-leading five doubles. Classmate Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca) has scored a squad-best 18 runs, has 24 hits and five doubles.
On the mound, junior Tegan Bennett has won four games and sports a 2.41 ERA over 69.2 innings this season. Senior Andrea Crapo (3-4, 3.96) and Ashleigh Barber (3-5, 5.25) are also in the starting rotation for the Purple Eagles.
Iona is 14-12-1 overall and plays its first MAAC game of the season Saturday. Of their final 18 games, the Gaels play 16 league opponents. Iona enters Saturday’s series having won four of its last five games. In their most recent outing, the Gaels lost to Wagner, 3-2, on Monday.
Leading the offensive attack for Iona is 2003 second-team All-MAAC selection Alison Higgs. The junior leads the Gaels in hitting (.372), runs (20), hits (32), doubles (4) and slugging percentage (.581). On the mound, Higgs has an 11-4 record with a 1.12 ERA. She has pitched 14 complete games, thrown 106.2 innings, struckout 100 and walked 23.
Preseason All-MAAC second baseman Liz Hammel is hitting .276 and leads the team in doubles (6) and RBI (13).
Fairfield is 14-24 overall and beat Saint Peter’s in it only MAAC game so far. The Stags have lost their last three games and host Fordham in a doubleheader today and play a twinbill at Canisius on Saturday.
Senior Laura Sandonato is hitting a team-best .333 for Fairfield. She is has a team-leading 35 hits, including 11 doubles, 12 runs, a triple and a squad-best 20 RBI. Freshman Cagney Ringnalda is hitting .286 with a team-best 19 runs, 26 hits, and 13 RBI. Sophomore Tara Hansen has 35 hits and a .280 batting average.
On the mound, freshman Tracy Sylvestre has thrown the majority of the games for the Stags. The right-hander has a 2.32 ERA in 21 appearances, 16 starts and 13 complete games. Opponents are hitting .222 vs. Sylvestre and she has struckout68 and walked 34.
