FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Sacred Heart University softball team heads to Staten Island, N.Y., this weekend for a pivotal Northeast Conference series against Wagner. Due to forecasted rain on Sunday, the Pios and Seahawks will play one game on Friday, Apr. 21, at 3 p.m. before a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m. 

SHU VS. WAGNER GAME INFORMATION 
Game 1: Sacred Heart at Wagner – Friday, April 21; 3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Game 2: Sacred Heart at Wagner – Saturday, April 22; 1:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats
Game 3: Sacred Heart at Wagner – Saturday, April 22; 3:00 p.m. Video | Live Stats

LAST TIME OUT
The Pioneers split a road doubleheader at Yale on Wednesday afternoon in New Haven, Conn. SHU won the opener 3-1 on the back of Carly Koltko's two-RBI single in the top of the seventh inning. Game two was tied at 2-2 through 5.5 innings, but a homer in the bottom of the sixth sealed a 3-2 win for the Bulldogs. Alyssa Gonzalez tied the game for the Pios in the sixth with a two-run blast, the 50th of her illustrious career. Both contests featured strong pitching from Sacred Heart. The Pios threw five pitchers in the twin bill, with the team maintaining a stellar 2.15 ERA with 13 strikeouts. Sam Kowalski and Carlie Williams did not allow a run in their appearances, with the former picking up the win in game one. 

REACHING 50 HOMERS
In the nightcap of Wednesday's doubleheader, Gonzalez hit a towering blast to left center field that cleared Yale's fieldhouse for her 50th career home run. The 2021 NEC Player of the Year became the first Pio in program history to reach the 50-homer plateau, doing so with 10 games still scheduled in the 2023 regular season. With her 13th home run of the year Wednesday, Gonzalez is now four bombs shy of her career high set in her NEC Player of the Year campaign. The senior's proficiency with hitting long balls has her ranked among the best in all of Division I. Gonzalez is 24th in the country in total home runs and 17th in home runs per game (0.35). 

SCOUTING WAGNER
The Seahawks own a 10-24 overall record heading into this weekend's games. Wagner ranks seventh in the NEC with a 6-9 league record, dropping two of three to Merrimack in its most recent conference series. The Seahawks bested the Warriors 7-1 in the opener this past Saturday before suffering 5-3 and 7-2 losses in their next two games. An 11-1 setback to Saint Peter's on Wednesday means Wagner enters Friday's opener against SHU on a three-game losing streak. The Seahawks rank seventh in the NEC with a team batting average of .218. Alexa Garcia and Mackenzie Vogler sit atop the team's offensive leaderboards, batting .257 and .250, respectively. The pair have hit the team's only two home runs and each have eight RBI. Eve Harvey has been Wagner's most effective pitcher, owning a team-best 3.31 ERA while tallying nine of its 10 wins. 

UP NEXT 
Following Saturday's doubleheader, SHU will make the short trip to play Fairfield on Wednesday, Apr. 26, for a single game at 3 p.m.