CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Canisius softball team opened the 2017 season with a pair of wins on Saturday, as the Golden Griffins started the 38th season in program history at the CSU Dome Invite, hosted by Cleveland State in Cleveland, Ohio. In the first game, Canisius scored a 7-1 win over the host Vikings before coming back in the afternoon and dropping Robert Morris by a score of 5-2.
In the first game, junior Moriah Harris went 4-for-4 with two home runs, two RBI and three runs scored as the Blue and Gold won the season opener for the first time since 2014. Harris led off the top-half of the second with a solo shot to left, and then she started a three-run fourth frame with a leadoff bomb. Senior Lindsey Silfer went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while sophomore Destiny Holani drove in two runs in the victory. Freshman Morgan Altman had two hits in her collegiate debut and drove in a run as well in the winning effort.
Junior Erika Mackie earned the win in the circle for Canisius after she went 5.1 innings, where she allowed one run on five hits while fanning two. Fellow junior Madi Weathers earned the save after she threw 1.2 innings of shutout relief while fanning three.
In the second game, Canisius trailed Robert Morris 1-0 after the first, but the Griffs broke the game open with a four-run third, highlighted by a two-run homer by sophomore Denver Keller. Silfer had two hits, including a double, and freshman Cassie Ho had a two-run double in the winning cause as well.
Sophomore Lauren Castro earned the win for the Griffs after she allowed two runs on six hits to go with four strikeouts and three walks in six innings. She also helped her own cause at the plate by racking up three hits. Weathers came on to earn his second save of the season after she tossed a scoreless seventh inning.
Canisius will play a pair of game on Sunday, starting with a game at 8 a.m., against Cleveland State. The Griffs will close out the first weekend of the regular-season at 1 p.m., when the team meets Bowling Green.
from GoGriffs.com via IFTTT
