Sophomore Amanda Cannizzo dropped a two-run single into centerfield with one out in the bottom of the seventh to help lift the Golden Griffins to a 5-4 come-from-behind victory over Manhattan in the first round of the 2010 MAAC Softball Championships Thursday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex. The win allows the Golden Griffins (33-17) advance to the winner's bracket where the team will face Iona at 11 a.m., Friday, while the Lady Jaspers (25-22-1) will take on Niagara at 1 p.m., in the tournament's first elimination game.

Canisius went into the bottom half of the seventh trailing Manhattan 4-2, but senior Michelle Fridey made the game 4-3 with an RBI-double to left center that allowed teammate Katie Medina to score from first. After Manhattan got an out, sophomore Katie Lancellotti reached base after being hit by a pitch, and junior Emily Helbig followed her with a base hit to left that loaded the bases. That set the stage for Cannizzo, who dropped a 1-0 pitch from Manhattan's Melissa Donnelly into shallow center, allowing Fridey and Lancellotti to cross the plate to secure the win.

Canisius trailed 4-0 after Manhattan scored all of its runs in the top of the first thanks to three hits and two Canisius errors. After facing nine batters in the top of the first, Canisius starter Caroline Main settled down and retired the next 18 batters she faced to earn the win in the circle for the Blue and Gold. Main improved to 16-6 on the year after she gave up four runs, one earned, on three hits while walking one and striking out three.

The Griffs scored two runs in the home half of the fifth on an RBI-single by Lauren Falzone and an RBI-double off the bat of Fridey. For the game, Canisius tallied eight hits off Donnelly, with Fridey going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored and Lizzy Gatto adding two hits to the winning effort. Cannizzo went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in and a run scored, while Falzone also registered a hit, a run scored and an RBI.

Manhattan's Kristina Walraven, Nicole Michel and Melissa Cascio all had hits in the loss for Manhattan, which has not won at the Demske Sports Complex since the 1995 season.

Game Notes: The win was the 750th in the career of head coach Mike Rappl... Canisius leads the all-time series with Manhattan by a 46-7 and the postseason win improves the Griffs to 12-2 all-time against the Lady Jaspers in the conference's softball tournament... The win also improved the Griffs to 56-18 all-time in MAAC Softball Tournament play... This marks the fifth time Canisius won a game when trailing after six innings this season... Friday's two RBIs gives her 52 for the year and moves her into third on the school's all-time RBI list with 113 runs knocked in through 154 career games... The start for Main was her first in the college postseason... She is now 9-0 this year against MAAC schools in nine starts... Freshman Stephanie Pfentner made her first career start at third base on Thursday... She replaced junior Paige Freiberger in the Griffs' lineup after she was injured in practice on Wednesday.