FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team will play a pair of midweek non-conference games this week before returning to Northeast Conference action on Saturday. The Pios will battle Iona first on the road on Tuesday, March 21, at 3 p.m. before welcoming cross-town foe Fairfield to Pioneer Park on Thursday, March 23, at 3 p.m.

SHU AT IONA GAME INFORMATION
Sacred Heart at Iona – Tuesday, March 21; 3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats

SHU VS. FAIRFIELD GAME INFORMATION
Sacred Heart vs. Fairfield – Thursday, March 23; 3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
SHU is coming off a weekend NEC series against the Warriors of Merrimack on Saturday and Sunday at Pioneer Park. The Warriors won both games of Saturday's doubleheader before the Pioneers bounced back with a thrilling 8-5 comeback victory on Sunday afternoon. Emily Carroll led the way for Sacred Heart, as she was the lone Pio to tally a hit in all three games against Merrimack, including a bases-clearing double in game three that gave SHU its first lead in the sixth inning. Alyssa Gonzalez also came up huge in the series finale, as her two-run homer put the finishing touches on Sacred Heart's first NEC win of the season. In the circle, Liv Vadas took the win in the finale after tossing 5.0 innings and allowing just one earned run with three strikeouts.

EIGHT STRAIGHT
With her double against the Warriors on Sunday, Carroll has tallied a hit in each of her last eight games. The junior utility player has come up big during her eight-game hit streak, as she has racked up 10 hits with a .385 batting average to go along with seven runs, six RBI, and four doubles. She was instrumental in the three SHU wins over that stretch, tallying multiple hits in two of them and recording three RBI and a double in the final victory. Through the first 20 games of the season, Carroll leads the Pios with 15 runs while being second in doubles (5) and home runs (3).

ANSWERING THE CALL
Sacred Heart received key contributions from players that did not start in Sunday's victory over Merrimack. Rachael Kohler pinch hit in the bottom of the fourth inning and stayed in at catcher, going 2-for-2 at the plate with a run and an RBI. First year utility player Kaelyn Freed was called on to pinch hit in the top of the sixth and recorded a sacrifice fly to right field that began SHU's rally in the frame. The RBI was the first in Freed's young career. Additionally, Samantha Kostek and Myah Eldred scored runs in the sixth for the Pios after being called upon earlier in the game.

STUDYING IONA
The Gaels head into Tuesday's contest with a 6-14-1 overall record through their first 21 games. Most recently, Iona went 2-3 at the Rutgers Tournament, earning wins over Holy Cross and UMass Lowell while taking two losses to Rutgers and one setback to UMass Lowell. Junior catcher Jamie Sheeran paces the Gaels' offense in batting average (.333), slugging percentage (.722), RBI (17), and home runs (7), and leads the MAAC in home runs and slugging percentage. In the pitching circle, Samantha Rieb paces the staff with a 4.16 ERA, while Kara Zazzaro leads the squad with two wins and 43 strikeouts.

STUDYING FAIRFIELD
After winning their first three games, the Stags have lost 11 in a row to take a 3-11 record into this week's action. Fairfield last played a home doubleheader against Boston University, dropping both games by an 11-0 margin. Before opening the home slate against BU, the Stags fell to the Pioneers by a 6-3 final score at Liberty's Flames Classic. After trailing 3-0 through five innings, SHU's offense caught fire for six combined runs in the sixth and seventh frames on the way to a victory. The duo of Megan Forbes and Kaitlin Hoffman have tallied similar stats to lead the Fairfield offense through its first 14 games. Forbes owns a .316 batting average, and Hoffman is batting at a .310 clip, while both have hit six RBI, four runs, and one triple. Allie Bridgman leads the pitching staff with a 3.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts. All three of Fairfield's starters have one win so far this season. Before battling the Pios on Thursday, the Stags head to Central Connecticut State for a Wednesday tilt. 

UP NEXT
After the Fairfield game, Sacred Heart returns the diamond for a home NEC series against FDU. The series is set to begin on Saturday, March 25, with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Pioneer Park. SHU and FDU will then play a single game on Sunday at noon.