JERSEY CITY, NJ– The Saint Peter's softball team (6-27, 3-16 MAAC) is set for its final seven-game week of the season.
Saint Peter's begins the stretch by hosting Wagner on Tuesday, April 14, before traveling to face Lafayette on Wednesday, April 15. The Peacocks close the week with a three-game conference series against Niagara.
Against Wagner, first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Jaroschak Field, with game two set for 3 p.m.
The Peacocks will then take on Lafayette in a midweek doubleheader at Lafayette Softball Field in Easton, Pennsylvania, with games slated for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Saint Peter's concludes the week at Niagara Softball Field with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 12 p.m., followed by game two at 2 p.m. The series concludes Sunday at noon.
LAST TIME OUT
Saint Peter's struggled against Rider, falling in the doubleheader by a combined score of 16-0. Despite striking out just four times across both contests, the Peacocks totaled seven hits on the day.
Kiana Kadena Matsuda and
Olivia Christopher each recorded a hit in game one, while Christopher notched the only multi-hit performance for Saint Peter's with a 2-for-3 effort in the nightcap.
Against Merrimack, the Peacocks put together a string of impressive performances but dropped the series 1-2. In game one,
Morgan Lipansky set a career high with 11 strikeouts, holding the Warriors hitless through six innings.
Lauren Czerwinski went 2-for-3, launching her first collegiate triple and driving in a pair of runs.
In game two,
Brielle Coppola earned her first victory of the season, tossing the program's first no-hitter while recording a season-high six strikeouts, tying her career high. Five Peacocks recorded multi-hit performances, with Christopher leading the way with a 3-for-4 outing.
Angela Tremarco went a perfect 5-for-5 across the doubleheader, driving in a career-high four RBIs in the nightcap.
In the final game of the series, Lipansky started in the circle, recording the first nine outs of the game on seven swinging strikeouts. Despite the result, four players recorded multi-hit performances, with Kadena Matsuda
, Paige Seemon, Carlee Charles, and Tremarco each going 2-for-4.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
Saint Peter's snapped a five-game skid with its first no-hitter in program history. The Peacocks have five players batting above .300, with
Kiana Kadena Matsuda pacing the team with a .320 average, .754 OPS, 17 runs, 32 hits, seven doubles, and 12 RBIs.
Olivia Christopher is currently riding a five-game hitting streak and has reached base in her last six plate appearances.
In the circle,
Morgan Lipansky has been a consistent presence. She holds the only ERA under 5.00 and WHIP under 2.00 on the staff at 4.91 and 1.57, respectively. She currently ranks fourth in the conference in strikeouts (73) and eighth in strikeouts looking (13), while holding opponents to a .262 average, ninth best in the MAAC.
ABOUT THE SEAHAWKS
Wagner (14-22, 11-7 NEC) closed March with an 8-10 record, with seven of those wins coming in conference play.
The Seahawks snapped a four-game skid by taking the final two games of their conference opener against Stonehill before dropping their next three contests. They later rebounded by taking the final two games of a series against Mercyhurst.
Wagner secured its first NEC sweep of the season against New Haven, outscoring the Chargers 13-2, and rode a four-game win streak before falling to Rutgers in extra innings.
To start April, Wagner has played exclusively NEC opponents, going 1-2 against CCSU and LIU—handing the Sharks their first conference loss—and 2-1 against Le Moyne.
Wagner has four players batting above .300, with Sydnie Trujillo leading the offense at .396 with a .970 OPS. Through 35 games, she has recorded 40 hits, 15 runs scored, eight extra-base hits, and 27 RBIs.
In the circle, Karson Zavala is 10-6 through 21 appearances and 15 starts with a 3.13 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP across 85.2 innings pitched while tallying 101 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .246 average.
Leading the Seahawks in his third season is head coach Glenn Moore.
ABOUT THE LEOPARDS
Lafayette (10-27, 3-6 Patriot League) finished March with a 5-14 record, competing in the Longwood Spring Break Classic and Radford Invitational, going 1-3 in each and earning wins over Longwood and East Tennessee State.
The Leopards dropped eight of their final 10 games of the month, with wins coming in a split against Georgetown and in game two of a conference series against Army.
To start April, Lafayette has gone 1-4, including a sweep by Stony Brook and taking one of three against Bucknell.
Kylee Sweet leads the Leopards offensively, batting .361 with a .963 OPS. Through 37 games, she has recorded 39 hits, 13 runs scored, and 12 extra-base hits.
In the circle, Marisa Powell is 2-3 through 11 appearances and seven starts with a 5.30 ERA and a 1.66 WHIP across 37.1 innings pitched while tallying 25 strikeouts.
ABOUT THE PURPLE EAGLES
Niagara (1-26, 0-16 MAAC) struggled in its opening month, dropping all 17 games in March.
The Purple Eagles faced four conference opponents during the month, falling to Marist (24-9), Quinnipiac (23-11), Rider (26-5), and Sacred Heart (16-4) in those series.
Niagara earned its first win of the season in April, taking game one of a non-conference doubleheader against Youngstown State.
The Purple Eagles are still searching for their first conference win after being swept by Mount St. Mary's and Iona to start April.
Niagara will travel to Cornell for a midweek matchup before hosting Saint Peter's.
Freshman Donnalea Barnett leads the offense with a .358 average and a .868 OPS. Through 27 games, she has recorded 29 hits, 13 runs scored, and seven extra-base hits.
In the circle, Ryan Hatty is 0-6 through eight appearances and seven starts with a 5.48 ERA and a 1.98 WHIP across 38.1 innings pitched.
Leading the Purple Eagles in his first season is head coach Paul Gray.
ALL TIME SERIES
Saint Peter's is 6-29 all-time against Wagner. The Seahawks have won the last two meetings by a combined score of 33-9. The Peacocks' last win came in 2023, an 11-1 victory.
Saint Peter's is 7-10 all-time against Lafayette. In their most recent meeting, the Leopards swept the series by a combined score of 11-9. The Peacocks' last win came in 2022, a 10-3 victory.
Saint Peter's is 31-40 all-time against Niagara. In their last meeting in 2024, the teams split a doubleheader, with Saint Peter's taking game one, 5-4, before falling 9-7 in extra innings in game two.
AROUND THE MAAC
Marist leads the MAAC standings with a 15-3 conference record, followed by Siena at 12-4. Fairfield and Quinnipiac are tied for third at 13-6, with Fairfield riding a three-game win streak.
Iona sits fifth at 12-8 and enters the week on a five-game win streak, while Mount St. Mary's rounds out the top six at 9-7.
This weekend's MAAC matchups include:
Manhattan vs. Merrimack
Marist vs. Quinnipiac
Canisius vs. Rider
Sacred Heart vs. Mount St. Mary's
Siena vs. Fairfield
Saint Peter's vs. Niagara
For continuing coverage of Saint Peter's University Athletics, visit SaintPetersPeacocks.com and follow the Peacocks on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
