The University of Akron Athletics
University of Akron
Niagara
Midweek Softball Slated At Niagara For Final Road Non-Conference Match-Up
April 16 | Softball
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Akron vs. Niagara
April 17 | Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Game Information
Live Stats:Â GoZips.com
Akron vs. Niagara Gamenotes (PDF)
What's Ahead
With two and a half weeks left in the Akron softball campaign, the Zips are scheduled for its final non-conference road trip of the 2019 season. UA heads back to western New York, this time to take on Niagara and the Purple Eagles in doubleheader action on Wednesday, April 17, starting at 3 p.m. Â
Scouting the Purple Eagles
Thirty-one games into the 2019 season, the Niagara Purple Eagles own a 7-24 overall mark which includes a 2-17 record in 19 non-conference match-ups and a 5-7 ledger during Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play. The Purple Eagles competed at the Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament (0-7) and Bank of Hawaii Rainbow Wahine Classic (1-5) in early season tournament play before competing against local opponents in and out of conference play.Â
As a unit, Niagara offensively is hitting .210, has totaled 160 hits including 27 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs, has scored 79 runs, and driven in 69 runs. The Purple Eagle hitters have struck out in 167 at-bats while taking 88 walks and stealing just eight total bases. Niagara's pitching staff owns a 4.63 ERA, has given up 241 hits and 157 runs in 193.2 innings of work.Â
Five members of the Purple Eagles lineup are hitting over .200 on the season and a pair of Niagara hitters are hitting above .250, including Maggie Veneske and Jerri Ann Orfano. Veneske, the top slugger for the Purple Eagles, has recorded a .282 average on 22 hits, has scored five runs, hit four extra-base hits, driven in four RBI, struck out 11 times while also drawing 11 walks. Orfano, a 5-10 senior, owns team-highs in hits (24), doubles (5), runs scored (8), and RBI (13) as the Purple Eagles starting first baseman. The duo of Veneske and Orfano make up 28-percent of the team's hits (46), including 33-percent of Niagara's doubles (9). In 72 at-bats, Kendall Watkins has scored a team-best 16 runs while recording 14 hits, team second-best 12 RBI, and team-high 19 walks. Â
Inside the circle, three members of the Purple Eagles pitching staff has picked up a victory when toeing the rubber. Sierra Bertrand, a 5-11 senior, has recorded a team-high three wins in 18 games and 13 starts. In 75 innings pitched, Bertrand has surrendered 56 runs (44 earned) on 92 hits while striking out 77 and walking 44 batters. The duo of Jennifer Szilagyi and Karsen Cotton are a combined 4-11 for Niagara. Szilagyi has tallied a 4.65 earned run average in eight starts while Cotton earned 10 starts and picked up a 5.29 ERA.Â
In the NCAA, Bertrand ranks 89th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.2), Watkins ranks 64th in walks per game (0.66), Maria Gabriele is rated 61st in sacrifice flies (3), and Rachel Funk is rated 84th in SAC hits per game (0.17). The Purple Eagles pitching staff ranks 137th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (1.54).Â
Series History
Niagara and Akron have met 14 times on the diamond in the history of the two programs over the last night years since the first meeting in 2010. In the all-time series, the Zips hold the advantage against the Purple Eagles and own an 11-3 record. Since 2012, Akron has won 10 straight contests against Niagara, including six in New York.Â
With A Win Over Niagara, Akron Would...
- Earn its 9-10 wins of the season.
- Earn its 7-8 non-conference wins of the season.Â
- Capture its 11th and 12th straight victories over Niagara.
- Claim its 7th and 8th wins in New York.Â
Last Time Out
The Akron softball team swept a pair of non-conference games at Niagara on April 26, 2017, at the Niagara Softball Field.
The Zips (23-25 overall) won the first game, 3-1, and the nightcap, 4-2. The Purple Eagles fell to 15-21 overall.
"I am pleased to get two mid-week wins," said UA head coach Julie Jones. "We didn't pitch particularly well in game one but played well enough to win. Savannah (Fruin) came up big again with two RBI, and that was really all we needed. In game two, Anna (Tarpley) hit another blast to left, and Nicole (Best) pitched a solid game for the win."
In the first game, Niagara scored a run in the bottom of the first. The teams did not score in the next four innings.
In the top of the sixth, Akron went ahead, 2-1, as senior OF Savannah Fruin (Delray Beach, Fla.) smacked a two-RBI double to right field, scoring junior OF Ashley Sims (Brookville, Fla.), who singled, and senior C Alyssa Nicholas (Cortland, Ohio), who reached on an error.
Senior 2B Anna Tarpley (Jacksonville, Fla.) scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh after reaching on an error.
In the nightcap, the Zips jumped on the scoreboard first. In the top of the second, sophomore 1B Laura Lakins (Akron Ohio) singled to left field, bringing home freshman pinch runner Madison Carter (Newnan, Ga.).
In the top of the fourth, UA added two runs as Tarpley knocked a two-run home run over the left field fence, scoring junior OF Taylor Kirian (New Riegel, Ohio), who reached on a double to left field.
In the bottom of the inning, Niagara's lead-off batter 2B Kendall Watkins knocked in a home run.
The Purple Eagles scored an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, coming within one, 3-2.
The Zips scored their final run in the top of the sixth as Tarpley doubled to left field, scoring sophomore DP Kelly Hysong (Beach City, Ohio), who singled up the middle.
2019 Zip Breakdown
Under the guidance of 13th-year head coach, Julie Jones, the Zips are amidst the 42nd season of competition in 2019. Akron returned 11 letterwinners from a season ago and welcomed nine freshmen to the squad, including four transfers and five true freshmen.Â
Sophomore Kayla Wulf (Maumee, Ohio) has taken a big step in her second season in an Akron uniform. Wulf owns a team second-best .343 average, .945 OPS, .525 slugging percentage, and .420 on-base percentage. Wulf has already surpassed her 2018 stats and recorded new season-highs in hits (34), runs scored (13), doubles (6), RBI (20), walks (11), which are a team-high, and six stolen bases. The Zips catcher/3B recorded a 10-game on-base streak (2/22-3/23) spanning over a month.Â
The Akron outfield has played a large role in the Akron offense through 35 games of the 2019 season. After an injury ended her 2018 season early, junior Jessie Holzman (Medina, Ohio) has made an impact in the Akron lineup. The Zips left fielder is hitting .316 in 35 starts including 25 hits, four doubles, has scored 16 runs and swiped 12 bases. Senior Jordan Crews (Waco, Ga.) has found a home in right field, is hitting .314 with 27 hits, driven in seven RBI, four doubles, and is 7-for-7 in stolen bases. In her first season in an Akron uniform, junior Macky Mitchiner (Riverside, Calif.) roams centerfield for the Zips and fit right into the Akron offense. Mitchiner has posted a .276 average on 29 hits, scored 16 runs, and totaled 34 bases including 15 stolen bases.Â
Redshirt senior Kimberly Rodriguez (Las Vegas, Nevada) and junior Samantha Malik (Orlando, Fla.) are among the top seven hitters in the Akron lineup in 2019 posting a combined .257 average (52-of-202) and 29 RBI. Rodriguez has driven in 19 runs which is tied for second-most in the lineup, scored a team-high 23 runs, and swiped 11 bases as the designated player. Malik, the second baseman for the Zips and junior college transfer, is hitting .263, knocked out 25 hits, five doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI, and scored 13 runs.Â
Prior to a season-ending injury, redshirt sophomore Sydney Jascoe (Commerce, Mich.), led the Akron offensive efforts from the plate. Starting 32 games at third base or behind the plate for the Zips, Jascoe owned a .396/.750/.478 slash line which included 38 hits, nine doubles, nine home runs, 26 RBI, 72 total bases, and was 6-for-6 in stolen bases. The redshirt sophomore earned MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors in the first week of the season.
Inside the circle, the sister duo of junior Adrian Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) and freshman Amaya Smith (St. Clairsville, Ohio) have started 25 of the Zips 35 games and made a combined 41 appearances. Ad. Smith has tossed a team-high 97.1 innings of work and owns a 5.16 ERA, tossed six complete games, recorded a team-best five wins, and 72 strikeouts. In five starts and 16 games on the rubber, Am. Smith has given up 56 hits, 41 runs (30 earned), and totaled a 5.73 ERA. Freshman Lexie Petrof (Ligonier, Pa.), has been key for the Zips out of the bullpen making 15 appearances while also earning three starts. In 37.2 innings of work, Petrof has tallied a 7.43 ERA, given up 62 hits, and struck out 18.Â
2019 Zips Tidbits
- Eight Zips, including Samantha Malik, Macky Mitchiner, Camryn Michallas, Amaya Smith, Lauren Holdsworth, Morgan Cadmus, Adrian Smith, and Lexie Petrof made their Akron debuts at the Blue Hose Invitational.Â
- Five Akron players recorded an OPS of over 1.000 in Akron's first five games, including Sydney Jascoe (1.559), Jessie Holzman (1.115), Kimberly Rodriguez (1.004), and Samantha Malik (1.034).Â
- Sydney Jascoe recorded at least one hit in all five games for the Zips recording a five-game hit streak.Â
- Adrian Smith picked up her first win in her first appearance in an Akron uniform against Morgan State (12-11).Â
- The Zips scored 12 runs in their season opener, which is the most runs scored by an Akron team in a season opener.Â
- For the third time in program history, Akron has ended two games in a draw. No Zips team has finished a season with more than a pair of ties.Â
- In the first five games of the season, Akron stole 18 bases in 22 attempts courtesy of nine different Zips baserunners, including six base runners going a combined 12-for-12.Â
- Adrian Smith struck out a season-high eight batters against Morgan State in her second victory of the season.
- Mikayla Newland and Adrian Smith recorded the Zips first combined shutout of the season (5-0) over the Bears.
- Amaya Smith earned her first collegiate victory inside the circle against George Mason.Â
- Sydney Jascoe recorded three RBI against George Mason which were a then career-high in a single-game.Â
- At the Madeira Beach Tournament, Akron recorded 36 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 20 RBI, scored 36 runs, and went 13-for-17 on stolen bases.Â
- Sydney Jascoe has recorded team-highs in multi-hit games (11), hitting streak (8 games), and multi-RBI games (8).
- Kayla Wulf owns a team-best on-base streak (10 games) and has the most three RBI contests in 2019 (4).Â
- Macky Mitchiner is currently on a team-best five-game hitting streak, while Sydney Jascoe has the largest active on-base streak at seven games.
- The Zips offense has scored a season-high 28 runs in the third inning.Â
- Camryn Michallas owns a 1.000 batting average (5-for-5) with a runner on third and less than two outs.
- Kayla Wulf hitting a team-high .560 with runners in scoring position, .488 average with runners on the bases, and .660 when successfully advancing runners.Â
- Sydney Jascoe owns a team-best .538 average when leading off an inning, has totaled a team-high 10 RBI with two outs, and owns a team-best .362 average with bases empty.Â
- Adrian Smith records a team-high 5.16 strikeouts per game while Kooper Vertz averages a team-high 1.3 K's to walk ratio, and Lexie Petrof averages 11.15 flyouts per outing.Â
- Adrian Smith has posted a staff-low 8.31 hits per outing.Â
- Amaya Smith tossed her first career complete game shutout in an 8-0 win over North Carolina A&T.Â
- Freshman Camryn Michallas recorded her first career multi-hit contest against UT Martin going 2-for-2 with an RBI.
- Sydney Jascoe and Kimberly Rodriguez hit their fifth and third home runs of the season against Ball State, respectively. It was also the second time the two have homered in the same game this season.Â
- Macky Mitchiner has recorded a team-best 66 straight putouts and is just one of two players in the MAC to hold a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Laura Lakins owns a team-high 183 putouts, while Jascoe has recorded a team-high 46 assists.Â
- Jascoe and Kayla Wulf are averaging over one hit per game, 1.14 and 1.00, respectively.
- Sydney Jascoe launched her team-leading sixth home run of the season, recorded her eighth multi-hit contest and posted her sixth multi-RBI performance against Youngstown State.
- Akron scored eight unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth inning against WMU to tie the game up at eight.Â
- The Zips held a lead in game one against WMU for six innings.Â
- In the two games against Western Michigan, the two squads played a nine-inning game, decided game one in the seventh inning, and scored a combined 35 runs in two games.Â
- The Akron offense had five players in the lineup that tallied a multi-hit performance in game two including, Wulf, Jascoe, Rodriguez, Crews and Mitchiner. The Zips top performer of the contest was Wulf who went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.Â
- In game two against the Broncos, five players recorded an extra-base hit, eight notched a stolen base, and two tallied a sacrifice hit.
- Adrian Smith tossed her fifth complete game of the season while picking up her fifth win in an Akron uniform.Â
- Laura Lakins drove in a team-best five RBI combined in the doubleheader against Buffalo that included a walk-off RBI single to give the Zips a 4-3 win and a three-run home run, her second of the season.Â
- Kayla Wulf went a perfect 2-for-2 and a walk in the Zips win against the Bulls.Â
- Akron needs 52 stolen bases to set a new program record for most stolen bases in a season. The current record is 140 that was set in 2017.Â
- Sydney Jascoe is halfway to joining the Zips top-10 list in most hits in a season. The last person to crack the list was Lisa McLean in 2009. Jascoe, 38 hits, No.10 Karrie Kovach, 66 hits in 1995.Â
- Adrian Smith threw three-straight complete games (20 innings) to raise her CG season total to six against Toledo.Â
- In game two against the Rockets, Akron recorded 13 hits, third-most in a single game in 2019 and eight Zips posted a hit in the match-up.Â
- Sydney Jascoe recorded five RBI in the Zips 11-5 win over UT which are a career-best in a single game.Â
- Freshman Lexie Petrof earned her first collegiate win inside the circle for Akron. After entering the game out of the bullpen, Petrof tossed 5 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits while striking out a pairÂ
- Sydney Jascoe hit two home runs in a single contest for the first time in her career against Toledo.Â
- Sydney Jascoe has hit at least one home run in the last three games, including her two home run contest, and has connected on a home run in four of the last five match-ups.Â
- Macky Mitchiner went a perfect 3-for-3 in the series finale against Buffalo.Â
- Heading into the two-game series against Niagara, five active Zips are hitting above .250 and three active players including Wulf, Holzman, and Crews are hitting over. 300.Â
- Kayla Wulf went 3-for-4 with one run scored, a home run and two RBI in game one against the Bobcats.Â
- Laura Lakins in home runs in back-to-back games against Ohio giving her four on the season and her career.Â
Up Next
The Akron softball team is set for a big weekend full of Mid-American Conference play as the Zips host cross-town rivals, Kent State, in another rendition of the Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Center Wagon Wheel Challenge at Lee Jackson Field on Saturday, April 20, starting at 1 p.m. The day also represents senior day for the Zips as well as Akron's annual Strike Out Cancer day.
