The Canisius College softball team lost to Iona 6-2 in the Winners' Bracket Game at the 2010 MAAC Championship at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y. on Friday. The Golden Griffins will take on Niagara in an elimination game at 3 p.m., after the Purple Eagles defeated Manhattan 2-1 in extra innings.
Senior Michelle Fridey, junior Emily Helbig and sophomore Lauren Falzone each had a team-high two hits for the Griffs on the day with junior Lauren Hope and freshman Stephanie Pfentner each adding an RBI. Sophomore Caroline Main (16-7) took the loss for the Griffs, allowing six runs, two earned, in six innings of work while striking out eight.
Canisius took a 2-0 lead in the second inning when sophomore Katie Lancellotti and Helbig led off with singles and moved up to second and third on an error. Pfentner would drop down a bunt, that allowed Lancellotti to score and Pfentner to reach on a fielder's choice. After an infield single from Falzone loaded the bases, Hope scored pinch runner Lauryn Chris on a sacrifice fly to give Canisius the 2-0 lead.
Main cruised through the first four innings, allowing just a one-out double in the first before retiring 11 batters in a row. The Gaels took the lead with a four-run fifth inning. Allyssa James led off with a single and Erin Kyle drew a walk while Alyssa Maiese singled up the middle to score James. Chelsea Sheehan dropped down a bunt and the wild throw from Main allowed both baserunners to score and eventually allowed Sheehan to come all the way around the bases to make it 4-2. The Gaels doubled their lead in the sixth as James led off with another single and Kyle would reach on a throwing error from Pfentner during a sacrifice bunt attempt. Melanie Gettins then had the two-RBI single to put Iona ahead 6-2.
The Griffs had a baserunner in every inning and had at least one hit in six of the seven innings, but weren't able to put the big inning together as Canisius left eight runners on base in the game.
Iona's Sarah Jackson went the distance, allowing two runs and nine hits while striking out three and walking zero to improve to 17-6 on the season.
