Junior Shannon Mongalise |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Taking a break from conference action, the Niagara University softball team (11-25) hosts Big Four rival Buffalo (17-26) in a doubleheader Tuesday at Niagara Field.
The Purple Eagles are playing their fourth game in the last three days and look to post a 2-2 record in those contests. The Bulls will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak after dropping a three-game series at Bowling Green this past weekend.
Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year candidate Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) has been hot at the plate the last four games. The right-hander is hitting .538 with seven hits, five runs, a double, four home runs, nine RBI, 20 total bases and a 1.538 slugging percentage. Healy, this week’s MAAC Rookie of the Week, broke and tied school records this weekend. She hit two home runs to tie the school record for most home runs in a game and her five RBI broke the school mark for RBI in a single game. Healy is also climbing the single-season lists. The second baseman is fifth in hits (41), second in RBI (32) and first in home runs (8).
On the season, Healy leads the Purple Eagles in hitting (.398), hits, runs (19), doubles (8), home runs, RBI, total bases (75) and slugging percentage (.728). Healy is ranked fourth in hitting and slugging, and fifth in RBI in overall conference games. In MAAC-only games, she is seventh in hitting (.400), second in RBI (13), home runs (4), total bases (28) and third in slugging percentage (.800). Healy has the top freshman batting average in overall and league games.
Two other Purple Eagles are hitting .300-or-better. Junior Shannon Mongalise (Bethel Park, Pa.) is hitting .329 with 26 hits and 13 RBI. Sophomore Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) is hitting .304 with 19 runs, 31 hits, eight doubles and 13 RBI.
On the mound, freshman Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) has a 4.06 ERA and 5-12 record in 25 appearances, 16 starts and 11 complete games. She leads the team with 80 strikeouts which is tied for fourth on the Niagara single-season strikeout list.
Buffalo is led by a rookie also. Freshman Laura Kor leads the team in hitting (.252), runs (18), home runs (5) and RBI (12). Sophomore Mary Russell is doing a little bit of everything for the Bulls. She is hitting .222 with team-bests in hits (28), doubles (7) and stolen bases (12-12).
On the pitch, sophomore Sophie Barstad leads the team with a 2.22 ERA. She is 9-10 overall in 24 appearances, 19 starts and 14 complete games. Senior Stacey Evans has a 2.51 ERA and 8-13 record in 25 appearances, 21 starts and 17 complete games. She has a squad-best 95 strikeouts.
