DAYTONA, Fla. – The Purple Eagles softball team moved to 6-3 in the 2017 season on Thursday, sweeping the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the first of two doubleheaders this season between the Little 3 rivals. Niagara defeated St. Bonaventure 9-3 in the first game of the afternoon before closing the day with a 4-2 win at Daytona Community College. The 6-3 start is Niagara’s best through nine games since starting the season at 7-2 in 2009.
Bridget Hogan batted 6-for-7 in the two-game set and led the Purple Eagles with six RBIs. The redshirt junior was 3-for-4 with a pair of two-run doubles in the first game of the day Thursday. Sophomore pitchers Sierra Bertrand and Jennifer Szilagyi each picked up wins on the day and sit at 3-1 for the season.
Niagara 9, St. Bonaventure 3
After two scoreless innings to start the day, Niagara led 2-1 at the conclusion of the third inning.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Brianna Clark walked and Jerri Ann Orfano singled to put two runners on base. A double from Bridget Hogan brought both Clark and Orfano home, giving Niagara a lead it would not relinquish. A five-run effort in the bottom of the fourth put Niagara up 7-1. Rachel Funk scored the first run of the inning on a wild pitch, and for the second straight inning, Clark walked and Orfano singled before Hogan sent a two-run double to put Niagara up 5-1. Hogan and Sarah March later scored on a fielding error by St. Bonaventure with the bases loaded to extend the lead to six. Pitcher Jennifer Szilagyi gave up two doubles to the Bonnies in the top of the fifth to make it 7-2, but a pair of RBI singles by Hogan and March pushed the lead to 9-2. Szilagyi held St. Bonaventure off the board in the top of the sixth and Emily Johnston allowed one run in the seventh, but Niagara tied its season-high with nine runs scored in the win. In six innings, Szilagyi allowed just two runs (one earned) and struck out two batters against 10 hits by the Bonnies.
Niagara 4, St. Bonaventure 2
The Purple Eagles opened the scoring right away with a 1-0 run after the top of the first inning. With two outs and Taylor Moody on third, Bridget Hogan came through with an RBI single to give Niagara the lead. Pitcher Sierra Bertrand struck out four of St. Bonaventure’s six batters through two innings, but the Bonnies tied the game in the bottom of the third, scoring a run following a fielding error with runners on second and third. The 1-1 tie held through four innings, but Niagara jumped ahead to take a 4-1 lead through five innings as Maria Gabriele, Erin Bohan, and Sarah Trifoso all scored unearned runs. St. Bonaventure cut the Niagara lead to 4-2, but Bertrand six strikeouts as the Purple Eagles picked up the sweep over the Bonnies.
Bridget Hogan tied a career-high with five RBIs in Niagara’s first win of the day over St. Bonaventure. Last season, Hogan hit five RBIs in the first game of a doubleheader versus Rider on April 30, 2016. Hogan now leads Niagara with eight RBIs on the season. She is also tied for the team lead with three doubles and is second on the team in batting average (.357) and total hits (10). Sarah March ended the day with three hits in six at-bats and Jerri Ann Orfano went 2-for-6 at the plate with three runs scored. Starting pitchers Sierra Bertrand and Jennifer Szilagyi combined to allow just one earned run (four total) on 11 hits in 13 innings. Bertrand picked up six strikeouts while Szilagyi finished with two. Both Bertrand and Szilagyi are 3-1 in the circle this season. Szilagyi leads the team with a 1.93 ERA in 25.1 innings pitched. Bertrand has given up just 11 hits in 23.2 innings pitched to lead Niagara with a .141 opposing batting average in addition to a team-high 23 strikeouts to go with a 2.37 ERA.
Niagara wraps up its Florida road trip on Sunday, March 12 with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader against the Bucknell Bison.
