BUFFALO, NY - The Canisius College softball team began its 10-game exhibition tour of Italy with a 2-4 record in the Forli Tournament this past weekend. The Griffs played two games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to kick off their tour against some off the top competition Italy had to offer.
The Griffs opened play Friday 0-2 with a 3-2 loss to the Italian Senior National "A" Team, followed with an 8-0 defeat by the club team Fiorini. Veronica Maher (Warsaw, N.Y.) took the loss for Canisius against the National Team, allowing seven hits and one earned run over six innings, striking out two. Maher was the surprise starter for the Griffs after scheduled starter Genevieve Garcia (Pacific Grove, Calif.) injured her groin during warm-ups. Amy Dodd (Conklin, N.Y.)Laura Miller (Painted Post, N.Y.) tossed five innings, allowing 11 hits and six earned runs in the loss.
scored both runs for Canisius and added a single and a double at the plate. In the second game, the Griffs were held to a one-hitter by the Fiorini pitching duo of Amanda Curry and Jennifer Spediacci.
Day two offered better results for the Griffs as they posted two wins over the Italian Junior National "B" Team. Maher bounced back from Friday's defeat to shutout the National "B" Team 7-0, while tossing a complete game six-hitter. Maher struck out five batters, while Diana Calandra (Amherst, N.Y.) batted 2-for-4 with two RBI. Melissa King (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) added a two-RBI single in the fourth inning, while Lynn Stoczynski (Cheektowaga, N.Y.) and Christina Bager (East Amherst, N.Y.) had two hits apiece. The Griffs needed to rally from a 3-2 deficit in the sixth inning to even their record at 2-2 with a 4-3 victory over the National "B" Team in the second game. Canisius was up 2-1 after five innings, before giving up two runs in the top of the inning and falling behind 3-2. The Griffs rallied in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Bager and scored the game-winning run on a RBI single by Dodd to seal the win. Miller picked up the complete-game win allowing eight hits and striking out two.
Canisius wrapped up its play in the Forli Tournament with a pair of losses Sunday at the hands of the National "A" Team and the Fiorini club team. The Griffs were pounded by the National "A" Team 11-0 as Susan Bugliarello tossed a no-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Maher took the loss for Canisius allowing 11 hits and only one earned run in five innings as the Griffs' defense made six errors accounting for 10 unearned runs. Canisius was unable to muster much offense in the second game as Spediacci tossed a one-hitter for Fiorini in a 5-0 win. Miller allowed six hits in six innings, but walked seven batters in the loss.
The Griffs will next travel to Rome where they will face several club teams from the surrounding area over a five-day period starting Wednesday, August 22.
