Saturday, March 28
Niagara Falls, NY
2:00 PM
Sacred Heart
at
Niagara
Photo by: Emma Pinault
Softball Travels to Niagara This Weekend
3/27/2026 11:46:00 AM | Softball
The Pios and Purple Eagles will play one game Saturday and two on Sunday
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team makes the trek to Niagara Falls, N.Y., this weekend for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) series at Niagara. The Pioneers will play a single game on Saturday at 2 p.m. and a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon.
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m.
Game 2: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Sunday, March 29, 12:00 p.m.
Game 3: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Sunday, March 29, 2:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers last swept Yale in a hard-fought doubleheader at Pioneer Park on Wednesday afternoon. SHU took the opener by a 2-0 final score, with Sam Kowalski excelling on both offense and defense. Kowalski allowed just two hits in a complete-game shutout and tallied SHU's lone RBI in the game. Game two was a 3-2 walk-off win for the Pios. SHU led 2-0 after three innings by scoring a run in the first and third frames. The Bulldogs evened the contest in the fourth, with the Pios having a chance to break the tie in the bottom of the seventh. Charlene Davis answered the call with a walk-off bomb to left center field to seal a 3-2 victory.
DYNAMIC DUO
The battery of Kowalski and Davis excelled in the twin bill against the Bulldogs. Kowalski finished the doubleheader with a .750 (3-for-4) batting average, tallying an RBI and a double. She was also almost unhittable in the opener, recording her seventh complete-game win of the season after keeping the Bulldogs to just two hits. She has won seven of her last nine starts and has eight wins on the season. Not to be outdone, Davis tallied the biggest hit of the doubleheader with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. The long ball was the second of Davis' season, and it marked SHU's first walk-off home run in the seventh or later since 2017.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
SERIES HISTORY
LOOKING AHEAD
The Pioneers remain on the road on Tuesday, March 31, for a road doubleheader at UMass Lowell, beginning at 2 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION
Game 1: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m.
Game 2: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Sunday, March 29, 12:00 p.m.
Game 3: Sacred Heart at Niagara – Sunday, March 29, 2:00 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers last swept Yale in a hard-fought doubleheader at Pioneer Park on Wednesday afternoon. SHU took the opener by a 2-0 final score, with Sam Kowalski excelling on both offense and defense. Kowalski allowed just two hits in a complete-game shutout and tallied SHU's lone RBI in the game. Game two was a 3-2 walk-off win for the Pios. SHU led 2-0 after three innings by scoring a run in the first and third frames. The Bulldogs evened the contest in the fourth, with the Pios having a chance to break the tie in the bottom of the seventh. Charlene Davis answered the call with a walk-off bomb to left center field to seal a 3-2 victory.
DYNAMIC DUO
The battery of Kowalski and Davis excelled in the twin bill against the Bulldogs. Kowalski finished the doubleheader with a .750 (3-for-4) batting average, tallying an RBI and a double. She was also almost unhittable in the opener, recording her seventh complete-game win of the season after keeping the Bulldogs to just two hits. She has won seven of her last nine starts and has eight wins on the season. Not to be outdone, Davis tallied the biggest hit of the doubleheader with a walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. The long ball was the second of Davis' season, and it marked SHU's first walk-off home run in the seventh or later since 2017.
SCOUTING NIAGARA
- The Purple Eagles are still trying to find their rhythm heading into this weekend, as they are 0-15 on the season.
- Niagara has been run-ruled in seven games this year.
- The Purple Eagles are 0-8 in MAAC play, coming off a pair of losses at Rider on Wednesday.
- This weekend will mark Niagara's first games played at home, as the rest of their contests have come on the road or at a neutral site.
- Despite their record, the Purple Eagles have shown some pop with their bats, as they rank fourth in the MAAC with 0.53 home runs per game.
- Senior Sophia Marrero leads Niagara offensively with a .395 batting average, 11 RBIs, and two home runs.
- Senior Jolyn Gibbons supports the offense with a .324 average, seven RBIs, and two home runs.
- Freshman pitcher Ryan Hatty leads Niagara's staff with a 6.27 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY
- The Pioneers will meet the Purple Eagles for a ninth time on Saturday.
- SHU leads the all-time series with Niagara 5-3 and has won five straight contests.
- Sacred Heart dominated last season's series, sweeping all three games by a combined 26-7 margin.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Pioneers remain on the road on Tuesday, March 31, for a road doubleheader at UMass Lowell, beginning at 2 p.m.
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P/INF
/ SoftballSaige Harper Paris 2024
Tuesday, April 16
Behind the Boards (MIH): Season 2, Episode 13
Friday, March 08
Behind the Boards (WIH): Season 2, Episode 14
Friday, February 23
Behind the Boards (MIH): Season 2, Episode 12
Friday, February 16
