NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Purple Eagles continue their eight-game homestand with a three-game set against the Iona Gaels on Saturday and Sunday at Bobo Field.
 
Coming off their first sweep of the Manhattan Jaspers since 2005, Niagara (7-19, 3-3 MAAC) will send the same rotation to the mound for the second consecutive series.  Kyle Olver will lead things off on the mound on Saturday.  The righty from Vancouver has a 1-4 record through six starts and has kept opposing hitters to just a .276 batting average.  Jordan Schwartz will start in the middle game after pitching a full seven-inning shutout last weekend.  Jim Fort is expected to pitch the final game on Sunday.  Fort, the only upperclassman currently in the rotation, has a 2-3 record in seven appearances in 2013, all of which are starts.
 
Freshman second baseman Michael Fuhrman enters the weekend with a team-high .311 batting average in 21 games this season.  Ryan McCauley, who is second with a .280 average, leads the team with 15 walks this year. 
 
The Gaels are led by freshman first baseman Christian Choman who has a.333 batting average.  Jimmy Guiliano has a team-high nine RBIs while playing in 25 of Iona’s 26 games.  Max Bruckner is the go-to on the mound, pitching 37 innings over seven starts.  The freshman righty has a 2-4 record and a 7.78 ERA in 2013. 
 
The Purple Eagles took last season’s series after winning the final two games.  NU scored the first run in each of the three games but the offense exploded in the third matchup, hitting seven home runs and collecting 19 hits on the way to a 17-8 Niagara victory.  McCauley had two round-trippers while Thomas Rodrigues had one and added a triple.
 
First pitch on both Saturday and Sunday is scheduled for noon.