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BUFFALO — The Canisius softball team used a pair of shutout wins to sweep a MAAC doubleheader from visiting Saint Peter’s Sunday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex. The Golden Griffins posted a 5-0 win over the Peacocks in the first game before coming back to earn a 6-0 win in the second game. Canisius is now 15-22 overall and 3-5 in league play, while Saint Peter’s fell to 2-16 overall and 1-5 in conference action.

In the first game, Canisius sophomore Lauren Castro tossed a complete-game, four-hit shutout where she fanned a career-high 11 batters. She also helped her own cause at the plate after she went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the victory. In the second game, junior pitcher Erika Mackie went the distance and gave up just three hits, while freshman Cassie Ho ended the second contest by going 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored. The back-to-back shutout wins for Canisius are the first for the Blue and Gold since March 25, 2016.

In the first game, Canisius took an early 2-0 in the bottom of the first as Castro and teammate Denver Keller each drove in runs in the frame. The score would remain 2-0 until the home-half of the fifth, when Canisius scored three times to take a 5-0 lead. In that frame, the key hit came from freshman Morgan Altman, who drove in a pair of runs with a single to right. Castro followed Altman with an RBI-single as well in the inning.

Castro made short work of the Saint Peter’s hitters, as the Peacocks failed to push a base runner to third base in the game. The Gilroy, California native retired nine of the last 10 batters she faced in the final three innings, with five of those outs coming on strikeouts. Canisius had nine hits in the game one victory, with Keller going 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI while Altman also had two hits and scored a run. Senior Samantha Sharkey also had two hits, scored twice and stole two bases in the win for the Griffs.

In the second game, Canisius broke the game open with four runs in the third, thanks to RBI-doubles by Castro and junior Moriah Harris. Keller also recorded a sac-fly in that frame, and freshman Cassie Ho scored on a Saint Peter’s throwing error to put the home team up 4-0. Those runs were more than enough for Mackie, who picked up her sixth win of the year in the circle for Canisius. Mackie allowed just one runner to reach third base in the game two victory, and that came with two outs in the seventh.

Canisius pounded out 12 hits in the second game and the Blue and Gold was credited with three stolen bases – two of which were credited to Altman.

Canisius will close out its six-game homestand on Wednesday when the team plays a non-league doubleheader against Syracuse. Game one of the twinbill is set to begin at 4 p.m.