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NIAGARA UNIV. — The Purple Eagles softball team is slated to host the Saint Peter’s Peacocks at 11 a.m. on Monday at Niagara Softball Field, a doubleheader that was postponed from April 8 due to weather. Niagara looks to get its first home win of the 2017 season after a pair of close losses to the Youngstown State Penguins in the team’s home opener on Wednesday.
Niagara was defeated by Youngstown State in both games of the Purple Eagles’ home-opening doubleheader, as the Penguins earned wins by scores of 4-1 and 3-2. Bridget Hogan, Jennifer Timm, Sarah Trifoso, and Kendall Watkins each picked up two hits in the doubleheader Wednesday. Jennifer Szilagyi pitched seven innings on the day, starting the first game with four innings and closing out the final three innings of the second game, allowing five earned runs on seven hits. Sierra Bertrand started game two and struck out nine batters in just four innings, giving up one earned run on three hits. Emily Johnston pitched the final three innings of game one, yielding just one hit while striking out two.
Jerri Ann Orfano and Bridget Hogan lead Niagara at the plate this season. Orfano leads Niagara with a .339 batting average, .492 slugging percentage, and two home runs, while Hogan is batting .333 and has a team-high 24 hits, six doubles, and 12 RBI. Kendall Watkins is third on the Purple Eagles with a .298 batting average, and she leads the team with a .437 on-base percentage having been walked 13 times this year. Sarah March is second on the team with 21 hits and is second only to Hogan for the team lead with six extra-base hits (four doubles, one triple, one home run). In the circle, Jennifer Szilagyi leads Niagara pitchers with a 3.15 ERA and has 11 strikeouts in 15 appearances (nine starts). She is 3-6 with one complete game and one shutout. Sierra Bertrand leads Niagara with 56 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .246. Bertrand holds a 4-5 record in 11 appearances (10 starts) with an ERA of 3.77.
Saint Peter’s softball heads to Monteagle Ridge to take on the Purple Eagles after playing at Canisius on Sunday. The Peacocks are 2-14 entering this weekend with wins over Hartford and Quinnipiac. Nicole Feoli and Alina Guevara lead Saint Peter’s at the plate as each sport a .326 batting average.
Brianna Hutchinson is batting .293 and leads Saint Peter’s with 11 RBI this season. Pitchers Crystal Carlucci and Sydney Ramsey are both 1-4 for the Peacocks entering this weekend. Carlucci leads the team with an ERA of 5.76 and 5.63 strikeouts per seven innings.
