NIAGARA UNIV. — After a 3-2 week in Virginia, the Purple Eagles head to West Virginia for a three-game series with the Marshall Thundering Herd. The games will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, 2 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
In their most recent outing, the Purple Eagles fell to Virginia Tech, 8-3, on Tuesday. Tanner Kirwer, Julian Gallup and Philippe Langlois led Niagara with one run each and Peter Battaglia had a team-high two RBIs.
Langlois had one double and Battaglia had one stolen base. Nate Mascellino struck out two batters in 3.0 innings pitched, but Austin Miller (0-1), who allowed four earned runs in 1.0 innings pitched, took the loss for the Purple Eagles.
Niagara Purple Eagles (6-5)
Kirwer leads Niagara in scoring with 12 runs on the season so far. He also has a team-high seven doubles and eight stolen bases and a team-best .561 slugging percentage. Kirwer and freshman Battaglia lead the Purple Eagles with 13 hits each. Greg Cullen leads the team in RBIs with nine. On the mound, Daniel Procopio (2-1), who was named MAAC Pitcher of the Week after his outstanding performance against La Salle on March 3, has the most innings pitched with 16.0, as well as having a team-high 22 strikeouts. Matthew Brash (2-0), who was named MAAC Rookie of the Week after Niagara’s shutout victory over La Salle on March 5, has struck out 15 batters in 13.0 innings pitched and has an ERA of 1.38.
Marshall Thundering Herd (5-5)
The Herd, who take on East Tennessee State University on Wednesday, are undefeated at home, 3-0, and 5-5 on the season so far. Catcher Sam Finfer leads Marshall with nine runs, 11 hits, four homeruns and 15 RBIs. Infielder Will Ray has a team-best .409 batting average. He also has eight runs and nine hits. On the mound, Wade Martin (1-1) has a team-high 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings pitched.
Following their series at Marshall, the Purple Eagles will play a three-game series at Bowling Green March 17-19.
