STAFF REPORTS
news@allwnynews.com
NIAGARA FALLS — The Purple Eagles baseball team will play a single game with crosstown rival Canisius on Wednesday, April 26. The game will take place at Sal Maglie Stadium, site of the 2017 MAAC Baseball Championships, and first pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Purple Eagles went 1-3 in a series with Monmouth April 22-23. Niagara won game two, 6-4. The Purple Eagles were defeated in game one, 8-6, and lost game three, 6-5, in extra innings.
Sophomore shortstop Greg Cullen leads the Purple Eagles at the plate. He has a team-best 49 hits, .368 batting average and .496 slugging percentage. Freshman first baseman Peter Battaglia currently leads the team in RBI with 32. Tanner Kirwer, a junior outfielder, has a team-high 34 runs scored, 19 doubles and 17 stolen bases. On the mound, redshirt-junior Cody Eckerson (4-1) has struck out 34 batters in 36.0 innings pitched and has an ERA of 1.50. Senior Daniel Procopio (5-2) leads the Niagara pitching staff in strikeouts with 64. Freshman Matthew Brash is undefeated on the mound (5-0) and has pitched a team-high 55.0 innings. With their 8-7 conference record, the Purple Eagles are tied for fifth in the MAAC standings.
Senior shortstop Jake Lumley leads the Golden Griffins with 58 hits, 34 runs scored and a .382 batting average. Ryan Stekl, a junior infielder, has a team-high three home runs, 32 RBI and a team-best .479 slugging percentage. On the mound, junior J.P. Stevenson (6-3) leads the Canisius starting pitchers with a 3.41 ERA along with holding a team-high 63.1 innings pitched. Sophomore Andrew Sipowicz (3-2) leads the team in strikeouts (51) and batting average against (.237).
The Purple Eagles will host a three-game series with Fairfield Apr. 29-30. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at noon and a single game Sunday at noon.
All WNY is made possible thanks to coffee and sleep deprivation.
We appreciate your readership. We like money, too.
