NIAGARA UNIV. — After an impressive 3-1 weekend at the University of Virginia Tournament, the Purple Eagles head to Virginia Tech for a single game on Tuesday, March 7 at 2:00 p.m.
The Purple Eagles faced La Salle and No. 12 Virginia in the University of Virginia Tournament March 3-5. The Purple Eagles swept La Salle by scores of 8-5 and 9-0 and split with No. 12 Virginia, falling to the Cavaliers 5-3, then defeating them, 8-5. Niagara’s victory over Virginia was the Cavaliers’ first loss of the season. Niagara’s win over Virginia was its first victory against a ranked opponent since 2013, when they defeated Pittsburgh 7-5 in the Panther Classic.
Tanner Kirwer leads Niagara with 11 runs, 13 hits, seven doubles and eight stolen bases. He is currently batting .342 and is second on the team in RBIs with seven. Greg Cullen has a team-high nine RBIs. Wyatt Olson is second on the team in runs with nine and freshman Peter Battaglia is second in hits with 12. On the mound, Daniel Procopio (2-1) has the most innings pitched (16.0) and has a team-best 22 strikeouts. He has allowed only six hits and has walked only one batter. Freshman Matthew Brash (2-0) has 15 strikeouts in 13.0 innings pitched and has an ERA of 1.38. On the Field: Virginia Tech Hokies (8-5) Infielder Ryan Tufts leads the Hokies with 18 runs and eight doubles.
Sam Fragale, an infielder, has a team-high eight homeruns, two triples and 22 RBIs. He is also batting a team-best .442 and has a slugging percentage of 1.077. On the mound, Andrew McDonald has the most innings pitched with 20.0 and also has thrown a team-high 18 strikeouts.
The Purple Eagles play a three-game series at Marshall March 10-12.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
