NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University baseball team (10-18) travels to McGraw-Jennings Field for a non-conference doubleheader against St. Bonaventure University (17-15) Tuesday at 2 p.m.
Recently having its seven-game winning streak broken with a 5-2 loss to Saint Peter’s Sunday, the Purple Eagles play their first opponent from the Atlantic 10 conference in the Bonnies Tuesday.
Taking a four-game hitting streak into Tuesday’s contest is junior Mike Alati (Woodbridge, Ont.). With three RBI in the last three games and three runs scored, Alati leads the Purple Eagles with 18 runs and eight doubles this season. Batting .311, he has 10 RBI and a .495 slugging percentage.
Leading Niagara with a .323 batting average and 18 RBI is junior catcher Mike Medici (Latham, N.Y.). In 18 non-conference games this season, Medici has a team-high 10 RBI and an on-base percentage of .400.
Junior Andrew MacNevin (St. Catharines, P.E.I.) heads into Tuesday’s contest after going 5-for-8 with three RBI this past weekend against Saint Peter’s.
Starting in Game 1 of the Tuesday doubleheader against the Bonnies is sophomore Ryan Virtue (Stittsville, Ont.). This season, Virtue (0-1), has started two games with a 7.71 ERA and eight strikeouts.
Freshman pitcher Mark Wilson (Peterborough, Ont.) starts in Game 2 Tuesday.
St. Bonaventure lost two of three games against Fordham this past weekend, going 3-2 in its last five games.
The Bonnies boast a roster of five players hitting .300 or better.
Sophomore Brian Pellegrini leads the team with a .400 batting average, playing in all 32 games this season. With a team-leading 35 RBI and seven home runs, Pellegrini, a second team All-Atlantic 10 selection last season, went 6-for-10 with two RBI and three runs scored against Fordham this past weekend. He also serves as the team’s closer, notching seven saves this season.
Behind Pellegrini, sophomore Matt Marduesz has a .373 batting average and 26 RBI this season. Marduesz leads the Bonnies with 10 doubles in 28 games.
Sophomores Kiernan Malone (.339) and Joe Rizzo (.331), along with senior Damian Blakeley (.324) are also hitting above .300 this season.
Last season, the Purple Eagles went 1-0 against St. Bonaventure, defeating the Bonnies in extra innings to capture the 2004 Big Four Baseball Classic Championship, April 28, 2004 at Dunn Tire Park, in Buffalo.
