Sophomore Nicole Sum |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team continues its 18-game road swing to open the 2005 season with a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader vs. Cleveland State Thursday at Viking Field.
The Purple Eagles enter the doubleheader with a 6-10 record. Thursday’s game vs. the Vikings is the first traditional doubleheader of the season for Niagara after playing in three tournaments (UMBC Spring Classic, Rebel Games, UMBC Dawg Pound Classic) to open the year.
Cleveland State is 4-13 on the season, including a 2-0 record at Viking Field after collecting a pair of wins over Robert Morris at the end of March. Cleveland State had a weekend series with Wis.-Green Bay canceled this past weekend and play at Akron at 3 p.m. today.
Niagara’s youngsters lead the Purple Eagles. Freshman Tory Healy (Las Vegas) has a team-best .378 batting average and ranks fifth in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. She also is tied with sophomore Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y.) with a squad-leading 17 hits. The pair and sophomore Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) each have a team-leading three doubles. Healy also has a team-best two home runs and 11 RBI.
On the mound, Niagara is led by a pair of freshmen in Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) and Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.). Viola has a 2.81 ERA with 20 strikeouts in eight games and a 4-3 record. McCrory sports a 3.73 ERA with 20 strikeouts in 10 games and a 2-4 record.
Cleveland State is also led by a rookie. Amber Lowe leads the Vikings in hitting (.365), hits (19) and stolen bases (9-14). Three other players have 10-or-more hits for Cleveland State. Sophomore Michele Penney, juniors Kaitlin Guyett and Shannon Graves have 13, 12 and 11 hits, respectively.
On the hill for the Vikings, junior Grace Luginbuhl has a 3.08 ERA in 14 appearances. She is 2-5 on the season and has 42 strikeouts. Rookie Christina Swierz is 1-5 on the year and has a 3.41 ERA with 18 strikeouts.
In last year’s doubleheader at Niagara Field, the Purple Eagles won the first game, 7-6, in eight innings and the Vikings prevailed 5-4 in the nightcap.
