Freshman Brooke Viola

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – After playing its first 18 games on the road, the Niagara University softball team returns to the friendly confines of Niagara Field for its home opener vs. Syracuse on Wednesday at 3 p.m.

The Purple Eagles enter the doubleheader with a 7-11 overall record while the Orange are 15-11. Niagara was 7-7 at Niagara Field last year and Syracuse is 8-5 in road contests in 2005. Niagara and Syracuse meet for the first time.

Rookie Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) has consistently led the Purple Eagle attack. The shortstop is hitting a team-leading .385 with squad-bests in runs (9), hits (20), doubles (3), triples (1), home runs (3), RBI (14) and slugging percentage (.654).

Sophomore Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca) is tied with Healy in runs and doubles and is second on the team in hits (19) and batting (.339).

Niagara has six players with 10-or-more hits and the team is batting .259.

On the mound, freshman Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) sports a 5-3 record with a 2.68 ERA in nine appearances. Classmate Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) leads the team in strikeouts (23) and innings pitched (51). She is 2-5 on the season with a 3.57 ERA in 11 appearances.

Syracuse has won three of its last five games and is playing its first of three consecutive road doubleheaders. The Orange have a 3-5 record vs. top 25 teams. They beat No. 22 Florida State twice and No. 3 UCLA.

Junior Alexis Switenko tops the squad in hitting (.325), hits (25) and RBI (15). Freshman Chanel Roehner is tied with Switenko for the team-lead in hits and RBI. She also has a team-leading eight doubles and three home runs.

The Orange have four players with 20-or-more hits and the team is hitting .243.

From the pitch, Syracuse is led by sophomore Courtney Mosch. She is 6-7 with a 1.43 ERA in 12 starts. Opponents are hitting .193 and have struck out 67 times.

Rookie Erin Downey is 8-4 on the season in 20 appearances and has a 2.03 ERA with a team-best 93 strikeouts.