Update: Saturday’s games are cancelled. The Red will take on Niagara in a doubleheader, beginning at noon on Sunday.
Coming off a three-game series versus Fordham in which the Red earned its first win, Cornell is looking to build momentum against visiting Niagara in a pair of doubleheaders this weekend.
Cornell’s (1-8) performance against Fordham is a promising sign of a turnaround after the team started 0-6, falling in three straight to Texas A&M and Duke. Although the Red lost two out of three to the Rams, all three games were close; the Red was just a few runs short of earning a respectable 3-6 mark.
Niagara (4-10) split a series with Michigan State on the road last week, accounting for two of their four wins. The last game was a back-and-forth slugfest resulting in a 12-10 win for the Purple Eagles. On the season, Niagara has struggled with opposing offenses, giving up an average of seven runs per game.
Cornell will hope to jump on Niagara’s pitching to wake up the bats. As a team, the Red is an abysmal .180 at the plate, compared to the .295 team average posted last season.
One bright spot on Cornell’s offense is Kyle Gallagher, who is batting .323 after a strong performance in the Bronx last weekend.
The Red is counting on a strong offense, hoping to rebound from last weekend’s error-filled games, and with league play around the corner, this four-game series with Niagara is the perfect time to get the kinks out at the plate.
Following the Niagara series, Cornell will play at Penn State Wednesday night before heading to Princeton for the Red’s first Ivy matchup.
Action between the Red and the Purple Eagles is set to start at noon Saturday and Sunday.