After a doubleheader against Little Three rival St. Bonaventure, the Niagara Purple Eagles get back into conference play with a trip to Poughkeepsie, N.Y., where they will play a three-game series against the Marist Red Foxes. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 11 followed by a single game on April 12. First pitch for both days is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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Purple Eagles 101 (6-17-2, 3-3 MAAC)
- Niagara's six wins have come against La Salle, Villanova, NJIT, Saint Peter's (two), and Siena.
- Last season saw the Purple Eagles take 2-of-3 from the Red Foxes.
- On offense, the Purple and White are led by Michael Fuhrman and Thomas Rodrigues.
- Fuhrman, a junior from Palmyra, Pa., leads the team, as well as the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a .392 batting average and paces Niagara with 29 hits.
- Redshirt-senior Rodrigues, a native of Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada, is second on the team with a .324 average and is tied for the team lead with 13 RBIs.
- Also chipping in on offense is senior Anthony Firenzi with a team leading three homeruns and is tied with Rodrigues for the team lead with 13 RBIs.
- Freshman Tanner Kirwer leads the way on the bases with 13 stolen bases.
- On the mound, freshman Zach Kolodziejski leads the staff with a 4-2 record while sporting a 3.10 ERA and has struck out 30 batters while only walking 11 in 40.2 innings of work.
- The Livonia, N.Y. native was recently named the MAAC Rookie of the Week after pitching 7.1 innings in the Purple Eagles 4-1 win over Siena on Friday, April 3.
On the Field: Marist Red Foxes (8-14, 3-3 MAAC)
- Marist's eight wins have come against Radford, Sacred Heart (two), Hartford, Iona, Manhattan (two), and Albany.
- The Red Foxes currently sport four players hitting at a .300 or better clip.
- Mark Swertfager leads the way with a .355 average, while Graham McIntire is second with a .329 average with one home run and is tied for the team lead with 13 RBIs.
- Steve Laurino is third for the Red Foxes with a .322 average and is tied for the team lead with 28 hits and 13 RBIs.
- Matt Pagano rounds out the top four with a .313 average and is tied with the team lead with 13 RBIs.
- On the mound, Chris Napolitano leads the way with a 2-0 record while sporting a 1.54 ERA over 35 innings pitched.
Up Next for Niagara
- After this weekend's series against Marist, the Purple Eagles return home for a three-game series with the Monmouth Hawks at Bobo Field. A doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, April 18, followed by a single game on Sunday, April 19. First pitch on both days is scheduled for 12 p.m.
