NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara softball team will travel to Riverdale, N.Y. to partake in a Saturday afternoon doubleheader against Manhattan. The following day, they will play two games at St. Peter's. Both days are scheduled to start at noon.
 
Last Time Out

• The Purple Eagles dropped both games at Syracuse on Wednesday, April 18. Niagara put up a good effort in game one, losing 10-6. They prevented the shutout in game two, falling 7-1 in the finale. Margaret Vesneske provided plenty of scoring for the Purple Eagles. She had four RBI in game one, and drove in the only run Niagara scored in game two. Vesneske also reached base five times between both games, totaling two hits and three walks, the most of any Niagara player.

On the Field: Niagara Purple Eagles (10-25, 2-4 MAAC)

• Jerri Ann Orfano leads the Purple Eagles in hits with 29, and is also tied for third in the MAAC with 6 HR.
• With 27 RBI, Orfano not only leads the team in that category, but ranks second overall in the MAAC in that category as well.
• Watkins' .425 on-base percentage is a team high and also ranks ninth in the MAAC.
• Sarah Trifoso is perfect in the field, carrying a 1.000 fielding percentage into the weekend.
• In the circle, Sierra Bertrand (5-9) leads the Purple Eagle pitching staff with 51 strikeouts in 77.2 innings pitched. She has an ERA of 4.33 in 17 appearances for Niagara.
• Karsen Cotton (3-9) has fanned 33 batters in 68.2 innings pitched and holds an ERA of 4.79.

 
On the Field: Manhattan Jaspers (15-21, 0-8 MAAC)

• The Jaspers are coming off a doubleheader split against the Lafayette Leopards. Manhattan earned a 7-3 victory in the opener of their doubleheader on Wednesday, April 18, but lost the second game of the day in a 6-1 decision. Manhattan are looking to change their recent ways as they have a 1-12 record in their past 13 games.
• Manhattan looks to continue their success at home so far, holding a record of 6-4 at Gaelic Park. The Jaspers plan to score early and often as they rarely give up leads late in the game. They are 10-3 after leading after four innings, 8-3 after leading after five, and 8-3 after leading after six.
• The duo of Brianna Matazinsky and Lauren Pitney lead the Jaspers in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage. Pitney leads in both slugging and OBP. with .710 and .534, respectively. Matazinsky leads Manhattan with a .354 batting avg. The tandem ranks eighth and ninth in the MAAC in batting average, respectively.
• When it comes to pitching, Matazinsky (6-8) leads the team in many categories for the Jaspers, including wins (six), starts (16), complete games (six) and innings pitched (91.0). Matazinsky's 2.85 ERA has her ranked sixth in the MAAC in that category.

 
On the Field: Saint Peter's Peacocks (5-29, 0-8 MAAC)

• The Peacocks are coming off a doubleheader win against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Both games resulted in the Peacocks blanking the Hawks, as game one resulted in a 2-0 win and game two finished 8-0 after five innings. They will host a doubleheader with Canisius on Saturday, April 21 before closing out their weekend at Niagara the next day.
• Catcher Theamaris Ramirez is the big threat at the plate. She leads the team in batting average (.376), hits (35), RBIs (23) and runs scored (14). Ramirez's .376 batting avg. ranks her sixth in the MAAC.
• In the circle, Sydney Ramsey (2-8) is coming off a 2-0 shutout. She leads the Peacocks in games started (11), wins (two), and complete games (five).

 
Up Next

• Niagara will open play at home against local rival St. Bonaventure. The doubleheader will take place on Tuesday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m.

 
Stay connected with the Purple Eagles through social media. Follow Niagara Athletics on Twitter and for softball updates, follow Niagara Softball on Twitter and Instagram. Check in with the Purple Eagles on Facebook and on Instagram.