AMHERST, N.Y. - The Niagara softball team (9-20, 2-2 MAAC) will take a break from Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play to take on Big Four rival Buffalo (12-21, 4-7 MAC) on Wednesday afternoon.

The Purple Eagles enter this mid-week doubleheader having won five of their last seven games, including splitting doubleheaders against MAAC foes Iona and Fairfield. The Bulls have won four of their last five games and return home for games for the first time since dropping both games of a doubleheader against Bowling Green.

Niagara is led by sophomore Jessica Hitchcock, who enters Wednesday's twinbill with a four-game hit streak and has reached base in the last eight games. 

In the circle for the Purple Eagles will likely be senior Julie DiMatteo and sophomore Kim Bryson. DiMatteo is 3-0 in her last four appearences and has a 0.52 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Bryson has a 1.91 ERA in her last five appearences, going 2-2 with 32 strikeouts.

Bryson is fresh off of a career-high 14 strikeout performance in a 2-1 win over Fairfield on Monday. The Ohio native has 104 strikeouts this season, placing her in fifth place on Niagara's single-season strikeouts list, and is 10 off her total from  2011. Bryson is also in fifth place on Niagara's career strikeouts list with 218 whiffs. 

Buffalo is led by Alexis Curtiss, Alyssa Ward and Sammi Gallardo. Curtiss has a team-leading .366 batting average to go with her team-leading 19 RBIs. Ward is currently has a .326 batting average, with seven doubles and three home runs. Gallardo has a .305 batting average, along with 29 hits and nine runs.

The Bulls will likely send Tori Speckman and Holly Johnson to the circle to take on the Purple Eagles. Speckman enters the series with a 4.43 earned-run average in 102.2 innings, while Johnson has a 4.61 earned-run average in 98.2 innings. Between Speckman and Johnson, they have thrown for 201.1 innings out of the team's 214.0 innings tossed.

Fans can follow the doubleheader by utilizing the live stats link at the top of the page and by joining the live chat below, beginning at 2:45 p.m.