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BUFFALO, N.Y. – Niagara softball is set up for a mid-week MAAC doubleheader against Battle of the Bridge rival Canisius on Thursday at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.

The Purple Eagles (4-24, 1-5 MAAC) enter Thursday’s doubleheader after dropping a single game to Akron on Tuesday, 4-1. By this Sunday, April 21, Niagara will have played in 12 games in just seven days.

The Purple Eagles are led by junior Brittany Richberg  who has a team-high .337 batting average. Richberg ranks fifth in the league in stolen bases (8-for-10), and holds a .476 average in conference play.

Senior Becky Zill has been strong both offensively and defensively for the Purple and White this season, boasting the team’s most RBIs (17) and highest slugging percentage (.518) while catching 10 runners stealing base, tied for third in the MAAC.

In the circle, junior Jennifer Sansano has tormented batters since transferring from St. Bonaventure, pitching a 2.81 ERA, the fourth best amongst MAAC pitchers. She averages nearly one strikeout per inning (.988) and owns the conference’s second-lowest opposing batting average (.247).

Canisius (17-14, 2-2 MAAC) has won five of its last seven games, including a split with Marist at home on Saturday. The Griffs have four batters averaging above .300, including Robin Kennery, who leads Canisius with 27 RBIs on 36 hits. As a team, Canisius leads the nation with an average of .45 triples per game.

A familiar face will be seen in the Canisius dugout, as former longtime Purple Eagles head coach Al Dirschberger is in his first year as an assistant on the Canisius staff. Dirschberger spent 22 years at the helm of the Niagara program, leading the Purple Eagles to a 1998 MAAC Championship and NCAA appearance while winning two MAAC Coach of the Year awards (2000, 2007).

The Golden Griffins hold a convincing 86-20-1 lead in the series, including two wins last season, 4-3 and 3-2.