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After 12 days off from game action, the Purple Eagles softball team opens MAAC competition this weekend with a pair of road doubleheaders against the Iona Gaels and Fairfield Stags. The Purple Eagles take on Iona on April 1 and Fairfield on April 2, with doubleheaders both days slated for 12 p.m. starts. Last season, Niagara went 2-2 against the Gaels and Stags in four games at Niagara Softball Field.
Niagara’s doubleheader with Cleveland State, initially scheduled for Thursday at 3 p.m., has been postponed due to rainy conditions and is tentatively rescheduled to Tuesday, May 2 for a 2 p.m. first pitch.
The Purple Eagles played five games at the Capital Invitational hosted by George Washington University from March 17-19. In two games against the host Colonials on the opening day, the two teams went to extra innings with the host George Washington winning both games by scores of 5-4 and 4-2. George Washington took a third win over Niagara by a score of 11-6 on March 18. The Purple Eagles also played the Penn State Nittany Lions twice, losing 13-4 and 7-1 decisions. Junior Sarah Trifoso led Niagara at the plate batting .600 (9-for-15) on the weekend with a team-high two doubles. Trifoso went 2-for-3 with a double in the 4-2 loss to George Washington on March 17 and was 3-for-4 with an RBI double in a loss to Penn State on March 18. Sarah March and Jerri Ann Orfano had one home run each, and March led Niagara with four runs scored on the weekend. In the circle, Jennifer Szilagyi maintained a 3.50 ERA through 12 innings of work, while Sierra Bertrand had a 4.45 ERA in the tournament with a team-best 13 strikeouts in 11 innings.
The Niagara softball team is 7-9 for the first time since 2014. The team’s 7-4 start prior to the Capital Invitational two weeks ago was the team’s best 11-game start since 2009. Niagara has two of the MAAC’s top 10 leaders in batting average. Bridget Hogan leads the Purple Eagles and ranks eighth in the conference batting .358 (19-for-53) this season. Sophomore Jerri Ann Orfano is batting .357 (15-for-42) this year ranking tenth in the MAAC. Orfano also leads the Purple Eagles with a .400 on-base percentage and .500 slugging percentage. Sarah March (16-for-53, .302) and Sarah Trifoso (12-for-40, .300) also have a .300 or better batting average for the Purple Eagles. Hogan leads Niagara with four doubles and nine RBI this season, while March has a team-high 10 runs scored. Niagara’s pitching, powered by sophomores Sierra Bertrand and Jennifer Szilagyi, has been a strength all season as the Purple Eagles rank fourth in the MAAC with a team ERA of 3.64. After recording a 6.77 ERA in eight appearances last season, Szilagyi leads Niagara and ranks second in the MAAC with a 2.44 ERA in her sophomore campaign. She is 3-2 in 10 appearances (six starts) in the circle and is holding opponents to a .296 batting average. Bertrand ranks sixth in the MAAC with a 2.86 ERA and is also fifth with an average of 6.55 strikeouts per seven innings.
Niagara opens MAAC play at Iona in the first two conference games for both teams. The Purple Eagles are 5-5 in their last 10 games against Iona. In last season’s doubleheader at Niagara Softball Field, the Purple Eagles were victorious 4-1 in the first game before Iona picked up the split with a 6-1 win to close the day. Kristen Turner leads the Gaels with a .397 batting average (29-for-74) this season. Turner leads the team with six doubles and is tied with Tori Danner with a team-high 22 RBI.
Danner leads Iona with seven home runs this season, followed by Turner at five. Alana Evans is 5-4 in the circle for Iona, and she has a 5.76 ERA along with 67 strikeouts in 12 games (nine starts). Marnie Skinner is 3-5 with a 5.36 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 11 games (seven starts).
The Purple Eagles wrap up the weekend trip at Fairfield, which is slated for a doubleheader against Canisius on Saturday while Niagara plays Iona. The Stags enter the weekend 3-2 in their last five games, going 1-1 this week with a 7-1 loss at Providence on Wednesday and a 2-1 win at Sacred Heart on Thursday. The Purple Eagles have recorded a 1-1 record against the Stags each of the last two season. The two teams split last season’s doubleheader at Niagara Softball Field as the Purple Eagles opened the day with a 2-1 win on Apr. 17, 2016 before Fairfield responded with a 15-1 win in the second game. Amanda Ulzheimer leads Fairfield at the plate with a .424 batting average and 28 total hits. Lacey Olaff (.385), Tori Reed (.347), and Alisha Marshall (.316) are also batting .300 or better. Reed leads the Stags with four home runs and 18 RBI this season. In the circle the Stags are led by Destinee Pallotto, who has a 5-5 record with a 4.36 ERA, 27 strikeouts, and two shutouts in 10 games (nine starts).