NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara softball team travels to Kissimmee, Fl. this weekend to compete in the D9 Citrus Classic. The Purple Eagles have two games scheduled on Saturday, March 3, playing University of California-Santa Barbara (3:00 p.m.) and Troy (5:30 p.m.) before playing Ball State (9:00 a.m.) and the Czech Republic national team (11:30 a.m.) on Sunday, March 4.
Last Time Out/On the Field: Niagara Purple Eagles (3-6)
- The Purple Eagles competed in the GCU Purple Classic, splitting a pair of games against Houston Baptist while falling in a trio of matchups against Grand Canyon.
- In their 4-1 victory against Houston Baptist on Feb. 23, Sierra Bertrand allowed four hits and just one unearned run while walking four batters and striking out nine in seven innings.
- After Houston Baptist earned a run in the first to claim the lead, 1-0, the Purple Eagles used a substantial fifth inning to their advantage. Kendall Watkins delivered on an RBI single to right to tie the score, and then Jerri Ann Orfano hit a three-run homerun to left to give Niagara the lead for good, 4-1.
On the Field: California Santa-Barbara Gauchos (7-8)
- The Gauchos are coming off the Gaucho Classic, where they split two games against the Dayton Flyers on Thursday, Feb. 22 and split two games against the San Diego Toreros on Saturday, Feb. 24.
- Outfielder Sammy Fabian leads the team in batting average (.433), on-base percentage (.433) and slugging percentage (.567). Infielder Alyssa Diaz leads the team in hits with 18, while outfielder Rayna Cohen has a team-leading 11 RBIs.
- On the mound, sophomore Felisha Noriega (2-4) has pitched a team-leading 44.1 innings pitched while leading the team in starts with seven. Lena Mayer (3-1) leads the team in appearances (11), strikeouts (21) and ERA (2.28).
On the Field: Troy Trojans (8-6)
- Troy is coming off a home tournament, the Troy University Tournament, from Feb. 23-25. The Trojans went 2-3 in their five contests, picking up wins against Tennessee Tech and Murray State.
- Infielder/Catcher Katie Webb is the leading hitter for the team, leading the team in batting average (.356), hits (16), homeruns (2), RBIs (12), total bases (25) and slugging percentage (.556).
- When it comes to pitching, Peyton Glover (3-0) has a 2.35 ERA and leads the team in innings pitched (38.2) and strikeouts (35) in her seven appearances, five of which are starts. Claire Graves (3-4) also has five starts for the Trojans and holds a 2.33 ERA over 33.0 innings pitched this season.
On the Field: Ball State Cardinals (9-3)
- The Cardinals wrapped up play last weekend in Greenville, N.C. in the ECU Pirates Invitational, picking up wins in four of their five games. Ball State picked up a pair of wins against both Canisius and East Carolina while falling in a matchup against Saint Francis.
- Outfielder Haley Dominique leads the team in hits (15) and batting average (.395) while currently second on the team in total bases (22) and RBIs (nine). Infielder Janae Hogg leads the team in total bases with 23 and homeruns with three while boasting a .333 batting average through 12 games this season.
- In 11 appearances this season, Alyssa Rothwell (0-0) has struck out 19 hitters in just 19.1 innings pitched, helping to lead her to a 1.09 ERA. Carolyn Wilmes (5-1) leads the team in strikeouts with 22, while Aeshia Miles (4-2) leads the team in innings pitched with 32.0.
Up Next
- Niagara travels next to Clearwater, Fl. to compete in the Under Armour Showcase on March 6 & 7. The Purple Eagles have a pair of games on Saturday against Penn (10:00 a.m.) and South Dakota State (2:30 p.m.) before concluding tournament play on Sunday against Penn (10:00 a.m.) and Western Michigan (2:30 p.m.)
