Live StatsNIAGARA UNIV, N.Y. – The Niagara baseball team looks to build on its momentum from last weekend's series win in its upcoming series against the Iona Gales on Saturday and Sunday.
The Purple Eagles (12-22; 5-8 MAAC) are a half game back of sixth place and the final spot in the MAAC Tournament. They took 2-of-3 games against the Gaels (6-22; 3-9 MAAC) last season with 7-2 and 4-3 victories in the first two games of the series.
Greg Rodgers turned in two RBIs on a double in the opener and
Joel Klock added another two in the second game with a double and a sac-fly.
This season, NU will rely on
Taylor Hackett to remain hot; the redshirt freshman is coming off of a weekend that saw him hit .545 last weekend. The centerfielder went 6-for-11 with three walks, a triple, and a RBI. Fellow outfielder
Anthony Firenzi's hitting streak has reached 20 games.
Jordan Schwartz, who is expected to pitch Saturday's opener, has racked up at least eight strikeouts in six of his 10 starts this season, including his last three games. His season high came back on Feb. 21 when he struck out 12 against N.C. Central.
Iona finds itself in a skid having lost the last 10 consecutive games. Its last win was a 10-6 decision over Manhattan on April 6. Christian Chorman leads the Gales with 11 RBIs and Chris Russo leads the team with a .379 batting average. Mariano Rivera leads the regular roatation with a 4.57 ERA and has a 1-4 record on the season.
The series gets underway with a doubleheader on Saturday and ends with a single game on Sunday. First pitch on both days is scheduled for noon.
