Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Softball team hosts Russell Sage in non-conference action on Wednesday before traveling to St. Joseph's-L.I. on Sunday to begin Skyline Conference play. First pitch on campus with the Gators is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. with Sunday's twin bill at the Golden Eagles scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary begins play on Wednesday at 4-8 overall following a doubleheader loss to Ramapo on March 21.
 
Samantha Bendig (Tampa, Fla.) leads the Knights with a .351 batting average. Bendig also sits atop the team leaderboard with 13 hits and is tied for the team lead in RBI with eight. Laura Dentato (Farmingdale, N.Y.) joins Bendig with eight RBI and is hitting .300 on the season with a team best five doubles.
 
Olivia Ferara (Middletown, N.Y.), who was named the Skyline Conference Player of the Week on Tuesday, has scored a team-high eight runs and is hitting .289 with four doubles, a home run and three RBI. Sophia Reed (Rockaway, N.J.) is off to a good start with the bat for the Mount, hitting .286.
 
Bridget Morris (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) and Grace MacDonald (Concord, N.H.) each hold a 2-4 record in the circle for the Knights. Morris leads the team with 40 strikeouts in 35.0 innings pitched, while MacDonald has worked a team-high 36.0 frames and fanned 23 batters.
 
Mount Saint Mary is hitting .233 as a team with a staff earned run average of 4.58, while opponents are hitting .308 against the Knights and working to a 2.29 earned run average.
 
Scouting Russell Sage: The Gators head to Newburgh on Wednesday with a 5-5 overall record and will be inaction for the first time since splitting their final two games in Florida on March 9.
 
Arianna Papas leads the offense with a robust .457 batting average that includes six doubles, a triple and a home run. Papas has scored seven times and driven in 10 for the Gators. Taylor Dicranian checks in with a .281 batting average with two doubles, two triples, five RBI and seven runs scored.
 
Dicranian also leads the pitching staff, working a team-high 34.1 innings while holding a 2-3 record and a 3.67 earned run average. Leah Madore has won three games in the circle and holds a 3.65 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched.
 
Sage is hitting .270 as a team and holds a 3.61 team earned run average while opponents are hitting .262 against the Gators and working to a 4.03 earned run average.
 
Recent History: The old Skyline Conference rivals had played 21 times since the start of the 2008 season with the Mount holding a 14-7 record. The Knights have won the last four meetings with the Gators, including victories in the Skyline Conference Championship Final in 2016 and 2017.
 
A Look At The Golden Eagles: St. Joseph's-L.I. has dropped its last six decisions heading into a non-conference set with New Paltz on April 1 and stand at 1-7 overall on the season through eight games.
 
Antonia Busa is hitting .560 for the Golden Eagles covering 25 at bats, ripping three doubles and driving in seven runs. Julia Ruocchio begins the week hitting .304 for St. Joseph's with a double, triple and four RBI.
 
Alexa Tenety has won the team's only game to date in the circle and has worked a team-high 19.1 innings. Tenety has fanned 14 opponent batters and holds a 6.52 earned run average.
 
St. Joseph's is hitting .249 as a team to date with a team 8.07 earned run average, while opponents are hitting .356 against the Golden Eagles and working to a 2.68 ERA.
 
Recent History: The longtime Skyline Conference rivals have squared-off 34 times prior to Sunday since the start of the 2008 season with the Mount holding a 25-9 record in the head-to-head series. Mount Saint Mary has won the last four meetings in the series and seven of the last eight contests.
 
What's Next: Mount Saint Mary travels to New Paltz on April 5 in its final games before the brief Easter Break.