NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University softball team (8-12, 2-2) opens the home portion of its 2007 schedule when it hosts Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opponents Manhattan College (2-26, 1-5) and Saint Peter’s College (14-10, 6-0) in noon doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The Purple Eagles enter the game on a winning note after defeating Colgate University 13-1 and 8-5 Wednesday in Hamilton, N.Y. With the wins, Niagara has now won four of its last five games. It also sits in a tie with Iona College for fourth place in the league standings.

Niagara has six players hitting over .300 led by senior Nicole Sum (Burnaby, B.C.) who is hitting .345 with 19 hits, five doubles, a team-leading four home runs and 14 RBI.

Freshman Kristin Kill (South Portland, Maine), tops the squad in hits (21), runs (14), doubles (6) and is hitting .339, while sophomore Heather Lohrman (Newport Beach, Calif.) has a .333 batting average.

Junior Tory Healy (Las Vegas, Nev.) is hitting .318 with 21 hits, four doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. Sophomore Felicia Coffey (Mesa, Ariz.) sports a .309 batting average with 21 hits, three doubles and eight RBI.

Senior Lisa Baker (West Seneca, N.Y./West Seneca West), who hit .857 vs. Colgate, is hitting .306 on the season with 15 hits and eight runs.

On the mound, junior Tiffany McCrory (Albuquerque, N.M.) has a 2.14 earned-run average and 40 strikeouts in 11 appearances and nine starts. Classmate Brooke Viola (Los Alamitos, Calif.) has a 3.14 ERA, 5-5 record and 39 strikeouts.

Manhattan has lost its last eight games, but could break the streak before traveling north with a win in a doubleheader vs. Columbia Thursday.

The Jaspers are led offensively by Danielle Just and Michelle Gutierrez. Just tops the team with a .364 batting average, 32 hits, including six doubles. Gutierrez is hitting .333 with 10 RBI. Candice Sheridan has a squad-best four home runs and 11 RBI.

On the mound, Manhattan has used two pitchers in Liz Pennino and Kristin Gelsleicter. Pennino has a 4.46 ERA, 1-13 record and 69 strikeouts in 26 games and 12 starts. Gelsleicter has made 20 appearances, 17 starts, and has a 4.58 ERA, 1-14 record and 35 strikeouts.

Saint Peter’s is atop the MAAC standings entering the weekend, but it lost twice to Monmouth on Wednesday and plays at Canisius Saturday.

The Peahens are led by senior Julie Saporito who tops the team in hitting (.435), hits (30), runs (21), doubles (11), home runs (7) and RBI (22). Tricia Reingle (.354), Michelle Casares (.301) and Chrissy Gannon (.300) are all hitting .300-or-better.

On the mound, Amber Phillips has a 2.42 ERA, 4-6 record and 27 strikeouts in 14 appearances. Reingle has a 1.70 ERA, 7-2 record, three shutouts, 39 strikeouts in 11 games.

Last year, Niagara split the series with Manhattan, winning 8-5 in eight innings and losing 10-5. At Saint Peter’s, the Purple Eagles lost 7-6 and 6-2.