Freshman Katie Gleiser |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Sporting a 6-3 record, the Niagara University softball team travels to Dover, Del., this weekend to play in the Bash at the Beach Tournament hosted by Delaware State. The Purple Eagles play UMBC at 11 a.m. and Drexel at 5 p.m. on Friday. On Saturday, they meet St. Francis (Pa.) at 9 a.m. and St. Joseph’s at 3 p.m. The semifinals and final are on Sunday.
Niagara enters the tournament as winners in three of their last four games after finishing 4-2 at the Mason Dixon Classic last weekend.
Two-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Rookie of the Week Jennifer Yee (North Delta, B.C.) and current MAAC Player of the Week Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) continue to lead Niagara’s offensive attack.
Yee leads the league and team in hitting (.619) and has nine runs, 13 hits, three doubles, a triple, two home runs, four RBI, 1.143 slugging percentage and .636 on-base percentage.
Healy is hitting .500 with six runs, 14 hits, five doubles, two home runs, 14 RBI, .893 slugging percentage and .517 on-base percentage.
Also hitting above .300 for the Purple Eagles are freshmen Christine Howden (Petersbourgh, Ont.) and Heather Lohrman (Newport Beach, Calif.). Howden is hitting .500 and Lohrman .320.
On the mound, sophomore Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) has a 1.77 ERA, 4-1 record and 21 strikeouts in five appearances. Freshman Katie Gleiser (Cheektowaga, N.Y./Maryvale) sports a 1.91 ERA, 2-0 record and eight strikeouts in four appearances.
Niagara will face one of its toughest opponents of the year in UMBC. The Retrievers are 15-4 overall and won six-straight games to win their own tournament last weekend.
Melanie Denischuck is hitting .393 and leads the team in hits (22), home runs (6) and RBI (27). Kali Shirk has also stolen 20 of 20 bases for UMBC. On the mound, Brittany Griffith has a 1.21 ERA, 3-0 record and 23 strikeouts.
Drexel is 3-7 on the year, dropping its most recent outing, 6-5 to Rider. The Dragons host Manhattan today.
Christina Rodriguez is hitting a team-best .424 with 14 hits and three stolen bases. Amanda Heyser has a 3.91 ERA, 1-4 record and 25 strikeouts.
St. Joseph’s is 3-11, but won its last game, beating UMKC, 1-0 in the Rebel Games in Kissimmee, Fla., last weekend. The Hawks are led by Dani Gonzales with .258 batting average, eight hits, including two doubles. On the mound, Lauren Cognigni is 3-3 with a 2.68 ERA and 56 strikeouts in seven appearances.
St. Francis (Pa.) is 7-12 on the season, but has won three of its last five games. The Red Flash went 5-2 and reached the championship game of the UMBC Dawg Pound Tournament, losing to the Retrievers, 5-4.
