Canisius College softball coach Mike Rappl earned his 700th career win Saturday morning as the Canisius College Golden Griffins downed Idaho State 6-0 on the second day of the St. Mary's Invitational in Moraga, Calif. Rappl is the first softball coach in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to reach the 700-win plateau.
Rappl, who is in his 30th season at the helm of the Canisius softball program, boasts a career record of 700-387-2. He has been honored as the MAAC Coach of the Year seven times and his teams have posted 30-plus wins in eight seasons, including last year's school-record 39 victories.
Senior Mallory Aldred earned her sixth win of the season in the circle after she tossed a four-hit shout out to go with eight strikeouts and a walk. The Griffs (9-11) scored three times in the bottom of the second, with senior Angela Turrey driving in the first run of the game with an RBI-double to the gap in right center. Turrey advanced to third on the throw and scored moments later on an infield single by fellow senior Rachelle Barrientos.
The Blue and Gold crossed the plate three more times in the bottom of the third, highlighted by a double off the bat of senior Cameron Norton, who drove in two RBIs to make the score 6-0. Those runs were more than enough for Aldred, who only allowed two Idaho State runners to reach third base.
Norton finished the first game by going 2-for-3 with a double and two runs batted in, while sophomore Paige Freiberger added two hits and two runs scored in the victory. Barrientos also had multiple hits and scored twice in the win for Canisius, while freshman Amanda Cannizzo added a double and an RBI to the winning effort.
The host St. Mary's Gaels defeated Canisius 8-3 in the Griffs' second game of the day in the five-team tournament. Canisius took a 2-0 lead in the top of the second on an RBI-double to right by Freiberger, and she would later score on a wild pitch. The Gaels answered with six runs in the home half of the third to take a 6-2 lead and after Norton singled home a run in the top of the fourth, St. Mary's answered with two runs in the home half of the sixth.
The Griffs will return to action Sunday when the team closes out its West Coast road swing with games against Idaho State and Central Connecticut State.
