Canisius pitchers Megan Giese and Alexis Churchill held Iona to just two runs on three hits in two games, while Sydney Costan and Rosie Gomez combined to drive in seven RBI on the day as the Golden Griffins swept a MAAC softball head from the Gaels Sunday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex.
Giese earned her team-leading 10th in the circle after she allowed one run on one hit while fanning 10 in the first game in the Griffs’ 4-1 victory, and then Churchill gave up just one run on two hits en route to her fifth win of the season, as the Blue and Gold scored a 6-1 victory in the nightcap.
Canisius improved to 19-13-1 overall and 8-2 in MAAC play with the pair of wins. Canisius is unbeaten in its last seven outings with six wins and a tie last week at St. Bonaventure. The Gaels fell to 13-21-1 overall and 5-3 in league play.
Game One Recap
Iona struck first in the top-half of the first after Jamie Sheeran hit her MAAC-leading 13th home run over the fence in centerfield. That would be the last hit of the game for Iona, as Giese would face 23 Gael batters the rest of the way.
Canisius took a 3-1 lead in the fifth thanks to a three-run homer by Costan, which drove home teammates Gabi Farris and Gianna Fazzolari. The Blue and Gold tacked on an insurance run in the home-half of the sixth on an RBI-single to left off the bat of Costan, which drove home Fazzolari.
Canisius racked up six hits in the win off Iona starter Samantha Rieb, who fell to 2-7 with the loss. Costan finished the opening game by going 2-for-4 with the three-run home run, four RBI and a run scored.
Game Two Recap
Churchill earned her third-straight win as a starter after she allowed just one run on two hits while fanning four and walking three. Giese came on in the sixth inning and earned the six-out save, her second of the season and the eighth of her career.
Canisius took a 1-0 lead in the third thanks to an RBI-double by Gomez, which allowed junior Christie McGee-Ross to score from second. Iona tied the game at 1-1 in the fifth, but the Griffs quickly regained the lead at 3-1 in the bottom-half of that frame thanks to a Gomez ground-rule double to right that plated Nicole Rivait and McGee-Ross. The Griffs tacked on three more runs in the sixth thanks to three base hits, as the Blue and Gold ended the nightcap with nine hits as a team.
Iona starter Kara Zazzaro took the loss in the circle for the Gaels after she allowed three runs on six hits to go with six strikeouts and three walks. Gomez had two doubles and three RBI in the victory, while McGee-Ross ended the second game by going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Game Notes
• Canisius improves to 47-22 all-time against Iona and 26-10 as the home team with the two wins on Sunday.
• The 8-2 start to MAAC play is the best for the team in league play since 2015.
• Giese passed Veronica Maher for the sixth-most career strikeouts with 12 fanned batters Sunday. The righty now has 375 punchouts in her three seasons.
• Giese now has 51 strikeouts in 37.0 innings of work against MAAC opponents.
• Gomez is tied for the team lead with 19 RBI. Sixteen of those 19 runs batted have come against MAAC opponents.
• Canisius went a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base opportunities on Sunday. As a team, Canisius has successfully swiped 19 bases on 21 tries in MAAC play.
• Of Canisius’ 90 hits through the first 10 MAAC games of the season, 24 of those have been extra-base hits, and 10 of those 24 have been home runs.
• Costan’s four RBI in the game one victory mark a new career high.
Up Next
Canisius will open a four-game MAAC road swing next weekend, starting April 22, when the team travels to play at Saint Peter’s in Jersey City, N.J. Game one of that MAAC doubleheader is set for noon.
