NIAGARA UNIVERSITY SOFTBALL
Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-30, 7-9 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (13-28, 9-7 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Saturday, May 4 | 12 PM (DH)
LOCATION	Niagara Softball Field – Niagara Univ., NY
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
Marist Red Foxes (30-19, 13-3 MAAC) at Niagara Purple Eagles (13-28, 9-7 MAAC)
DATE | TIME	Sunday, May 5 | 11 AM (DH)
LOCATION	Niagara Softball Field – Niagara Univ., NY
LIVE VIDEO	PurpleEagles.com
LIVE STATS	Sidearm Stats
TV BROADCAST	LCTV

The last two doubleheaders of the season for the Niagara softball team feature plenty of storylines as the team looks to make the postseason for the first time since 2013. Saturday's games against Quinnipiac will also be preceded by a special Senior Day ceremony to recognize the team's six outgoing athletes.
 
Playoff Picture*

• All 11 schools are in action this weekend, with only two (Rider, Saint Peter's) mathematically eliminated from competing in the playoffs.
• The top six seeds at the end of the regular season will earn berths into the MAAC Softball Championship. The team that ends with the best conference mark hosts the postseason tournament. Marist is currently tied with Monmouth for that privilege.
• Three series will be played today that could potentially affect Niagara's standing heading into tomorrow. Fairfield-Rider, Iona-Monmouth, and Quinnipiac-Canisius will all be underway by 1 p.m.
• At 9-7 in conference, the Purple Eagles are currently in a tie for fifth place with Fairfield, a team that Niagara holds a head-to-head tiebreaker over by virtue of their sweep in Connecticut on April 14.
• Niagara can finish anywhere from second overall to ninth.
• Seventh-place Quinnipiac is two games out of a playoff spot at this point with a 7-9 MAAC mark.
• A sweep of the Bobcats will ensure Niagara a spot in the playoffs, as the Purple Eagles would finish no worse than 11-9 while Quinnipiac and Manhattan could do no better than 9-11 and Canisius could do no better than 10-10.
• Should the Purple Eagles and Bobcats split their series, Niagara would still be no lower than sixth entering Sunday but would need to help their own cause with at least one win against Marist and have Canisius take at least one game from Quinnipiac to improve their odds.

 
Niagara Notes

• The Purple Eagles most recently split with Saint Bonaventure on Thursday evening. Niagara fell in game one, 4-1, before a late charge gave them a 6-4 victory in the finale. Kelsey Harrigan and Jennifer Timm each accounted for three RBI in the series.
• Jerri Ann Orfano has reclaimed the lead for Niagara's best batting average with a .309 on the year. The reigning MAAC Player of the Week has reached base in each of the last eight games, going 13-28 (.464) from the plate in that span with seven RBI.
• All five pitchers on staff have dropped their ERAs to sub-10. Sierra Bertrand leads qualifying pitchers with a 3.55, while reliever Emily Johnston holds a 2.87 in 31.2 innings of work.

 
Scouting The Bobcats

• Quinnipiac enters the weekend on a three-game skid, most recently suffering an 11-inning, 2-1 loss at the hands of UConn on April 30.
• The team is 3-9 in its last 12 MAAC games, with the three wins coming consecutively against Marist on April 17 before the team swept Rider on April 23.
• Kayla Jensen's .342 batting average is the best mark on the team. Her on-base percentage of .407 is second only to Erin Larsen's .458.
• Senior hurler Kendall Brundrett has pitched 146.2 frames this season, the most of the team's three pitchers. Lauren King has the lowest ERA with a 2.44 through 120.2 innings of work.

 
Scouting The Red Foxes

• Marist has won six straight games coming into the final weekend of regular season play. On May 1 they swept Lafayette on the road.
• Against MAAC schools, the Red Foxes have won 10 of their last 12 games, with their only losses coming against Siena and Quinnipiac.
• Casey Page and Ali Milam rank 6-7 in the MAAC in terms of batting averages, with a .378 and a 3.74, respectively. Caroline Baratta (.344) and Brandi Coon (.329) rank just outside the top 10, at 11th and 12th.
• With a 1.34 ERA in 125.0 innings, Calista Phippen has the conference's second best earned-run average, trailing only Kara Zazzaro (1.19) of Iona.

 
*Playoff scenarios have not been verified by the MAAC and are subject to inaccuracy/change.
 
 
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