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NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – Three members of the class of 2013 will play in their last home games as a Purple Eagle when Niagara hosts the University of Maryland Baltimore County Retrievers in a three-game series this weekend. Action starts with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m. before the weekend concludes with a single game on Sunday at 11 a.m.
 
Niagara (14-26, 9-7 MAAC) earned its program-record ninth consecutive win with a game one victory over Iona on Sunday, 2-0. Following the shutout, NU fell in the nightcap in extra innings, 4-3. A series sweep would have clinched a MAAC Tournament berth, but the team’s fate is now in the hands of its MAAC peers. NU needs either an Iona loss to Saint Peter’s or two losses each by Manhattan to Canisius and Marist for a postseason bid.
 
Senior Alexis Wayne helps pace Niagara’s offense, leading the team with a .336 batting average, compiling 42 hits including 10 doubles and 21 RBIs this season.
 
Senior Becky Zill has been a force both offensively and defensively for the Purple and White. Zill is hitting .333 with a team-high 30 RBIs on 41 hits. In conference action, Zill leads the MAAC statistical categories in hits (24), total bases (40), RBIs (19), chances (129), putouts (122), and has caught four runners stealing base, the most in the league.
 
Junior Jennifer Sansano was named MAAC and ECAC Pitcher of the Week for her efforts last week. Through five appearances including four starts, Sansano went 4-1 with a 0.67 ERA, allowing just three earned runs on 19 hits while striking out 48 batters in 31.1 innings. Sansano owns a 2.09 ERA this season, and leads all MAAC hurlers with an earned run average in conference games of 1.33. She has shut out five opponents this year, just one shy of a single-season record.
 
UMBC (9-40, 1-17 America East) enters the weekend losing its last four games after beating La Salle 13-10 last Tuesday. Taylor Hall is the Retrievers’ best hitter, recording 50 hits in 46 games with 35 RBIs and seven home runs. Heather Brown (5-19) gets the majority of starts for UMBC, tossing two shut outs and striking out 59 batters in 177.2 innings, compiling a 4.31 ERA.
 
The Purple Eagles faced UMBC twice last season, first falling 1-0 on March 4 before winning the second meeting, 3-2. UMBC owns the overall record against NU, 9-5. 11 of the 14 contests between the two schools have been decided by two runs or less.
 
Prior to Saturday’s opening pitch, the three members of the class of 2013, Wayne, Zill, and Gabrielle Lustrinelli, will be honored for their dedication and success to the Niagara softball program. In the last five years, Niagara is 5-5 on Senior Day.