Sophomore right-hander Brooke Viola

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (16-10) looks to end a three-game losing streak when it travels east to meet in-state foe Syracuse University in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at the Syracuse Softball Stadium.

The Purple Eagles enter the series after dropping a pair of games vs. cross-town rival Canisius College last weekend. The losses dropped the squad into a tie with Siena College for fourth place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.

The tandem of freshman Jennifer Yee (North Delta, B.C.) and sophomore Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) continue to be Niagara’s one-two punch at the plate.

Yee, who leads the MAAC and the team in hitting, is batting .551. She also leads the team in runs (26), hits (43), home runs (7) and stolen bases (7). Healy, who ranks fourth in the MAAC and second on the squad, is batting .429 with a team-leading 11 doubles and 28 RBI.

Also turning in solid seasons are starters Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) and Shannon Mongalise (Bethel Park, Pa.). The pair are hitting .333 and .310, respectively, while ranking third (16) and fourth (14) on the team in RBI.

The mound, sophomore Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) is third in the MAAC and leads the Purple Eagles with a 1.89 earned-run average. She also tops the squad in wins (8), appearances (13), starts (10), complete games (8) and strikeouts (55). Opponents are hitting .236 off the right-hander.

Classmate Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) has a 3.64 ERA in 11 appearances and 10 starts. She is 4-4 on the season, averages 3.4 strikeouts per game and foes are hitting .249 off the right-hander.

Syracuse enters the doubleheader on a two-game winning streak after beating previously ranked DePaul on April 9. The Orange, who were picked fifth in the Big East preseason poll, are currently fourth in the league.

Freshman Tonye McCorkle leads Syracuse in hitting (.379), hits (33) and doubles. Senior Alexis Switenko tops the squad in runs (23), hits (33), home runs (12) and RBI (29), while hitting .355.

On the mound, sophomore Erin Downey has a team-leading .304 ERA and a 13-13 record in 28 appearances. She is averaging 6.5 strikeouts per game and opponents are hitting .246 off the right-hander.

Switenko is 7-1 for the Orange with a 3.19 ERA in 14 appearances. The right-hander is averaging 3.2 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .283.

The Niagara-Syracuse series began last season with the Orange visiting Monteagle Ridge. The Purple Eagles lost both games of the doubleheader, 8-0 and 5-1.