The Niagara softball team heads to Florida this week for a seven-game road trip spanning seven days. The Purple Eagles opened the season back on Feb. 11 and 12 at the Cleveland State Dome Tournament, finishing the opening weekend with a 3-1 record with a win over the host Cleveland State Vikings and two wins over the Robert Morris Colonials.
To open their Florida trip, the Purple Eagles will take on the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and the Western Michigan Broncos in Clearwater, Fl. on Monday, Feb. 6. Niagara and South Dakota State will start the day at 12 p.m., followed immediately by a 2 p.m. game between the Purple Eagles and Western Michigan.
Niagara began the 2017 season by winning three of its four games at February’s Cleveland State Dome Tournament. The 3-1 start is the best for the Purple Eagles since the team won six straight contests to start the 2009 season. The Purple Eagles earned a split on the first day of the tournament, falling 8-1 to Bowling Green before rallying with a 9-0, five-inning shutout of the Robert Morris Colonials. On Feb. 12, Niagara began the day with a convincing 9-4 win over host Cleveland State before a rematch with Robert Morris that ended in a 7-5 victory. In the weekend’s first over Robert Morris, Jennifer Szilagyi pitched a complete game and picked up her first career win in shutout fashion, yielding just three hits in five innings to the Colonials. Sarah March went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, and freshman Kendall Watkins picked up a two-run home run on her first career hit. March, Szilagyi, Watkins, and Jerri Ann Orfano all picked up two hits in the Sunday win over Cleveland State. Orfano picked up three RBIs on a pair of doubles, while Brianna Clark also tallied three RBIs on a sixth-inning home run. Szilagyi earned her second win of the weekend against the Vikings, allowing four runs on six hits while striking out two in five innings in the circle. Sierra Bertrand won her first start of the season in Niagara’s second game against Robert Morris. One of the MAAC’s leaders in strikeouts during her freshman campaign, Bertrand struck out seven Colonials in six innings, giving up three runs on four hits. Rachel Funk hit 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs in the 7-5 Niagara win, and Szilagyi and Watkins both went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Watkins was named MAAC Rookie of the Week after going 5-for-13 on the weekend with four RBIs, five runs scored, one double, and one home run in four starts.
As a team, Niagara currently leads the MAAC in batting average (.312) and on-base percentage (.380) and second in slugging percentage (.468). Defensively, leads the MAAC with a .253 opposing batting average and is third in team ERA (3.50). Sarah March and Jerri Ann Orfano are tied for second in the MAAC as each finished the team’s opening weekend with a .500 batting average. Orfano’s .875 slugging percentage is also second in the conference, while March’s .533 on-base percentage is third. Her three doubles lead the Purple Eagles. Sierra Bertrand (2.62) and Jennifer Szilagyi (2.80) both rank among the MAAC’s leaders in ERA. Kendall Watkins leads Niagara with five runs scored, and her fellow rookie Rachel Funk has a team-high five RBIs.
South Dakota State has opened the 2017 season with wins over Toledo, South Carolina State, Kansas, and Alabama A&M. The Purple Eagles defeated the Jackrabbits 5-2 in last season’s matchup on March 6, 2016 at the Rebel Spring Games. Julia Anderson leads the team at the plate, batting 14-for-50 (.280 average) in 15 starts this season. Lyndsey Crist has a team-high nine runs scored. Brittney Morse and Ali Herdslika are tied for the Jackrabbits’ team lead with 12 RBIs each. Morse leads South Dakota State with six home runs and Herdslika has a team-high three doubles. In the circle, Ashlyn Bender leads the way with a 4-4 record, 2.55 ERA, 24 strikeouts, and one shutout in nine appearances.
Western Michigan enters Monday’s action on a two-game winning streak after wins over Hartford and Fort Wayne. They can extend the streak to three with a win over South Dakota State at 10 a.m. Monday before facing the Purple Eagles. Kelsea Cichocki leads the Broncos at the plate with a .522 batting average and a team-high 24 hits in 15 games played. She also leads the team with 17 RBIs, seven doubles, and three home runs. Mackenzie Swinehart is batting .400 (20-for-50) with a team-high 13 runs scored for Western Michigan. In the circle, the Broncos are led by Jordan Kurth (5-4, 2.42 ERA) and Anissa Sanchez (1-3, 2.21 ERA).
