The Canisius softball team saw its 2015 come to an end on Thursday as the Golden Griffins dropped a pair of games to Monmouth and Manhattan on the second day of the MAAC Softball Championship at the Demske Sports Complex. In their first game of the day, the Griffs lost to No. 5 seed Monmouth 12-1 in five innings before falling in an elimination game to No. 3 Manhattan by the score of 2-1. Canisius closed out the year with an overall record of 26-19 to go with a 15-5 mark in MAAC play.

In the elimination game loss to Manhattan, the Blue and Gold had the bases loaded with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but could only push one run across the plate. Junior Alexis Roman started the home-half of the seventh off with an infield base hit, and fellow junior Bethany DeMarco followed by earning a walk. After junior Tori Nappo popped out to the catcher for the first out of the frame, sophomore Samantha Sharkey singled through the left side to load the bases for the Blue and Gold. Sophomore Jessica Berzins followed Sharkey with a base hit of her own down the left field line to drive in Roman, but Manhattan left fielder Andi Stallard made a heads up play defensively and threw out pinch-runner Erika Mackie at third base after she took a wide turn and tried to scramble back to the bag. The game ended when Manhattan hurler Amy Bright struck out junior Meghan Cuda on her 126th pitch of the day.

Manhattan (26-19) scored two runs in the top-half of the first on an RBI-double by Mickayla Romero, which allowed teammates Jenn Vazquez and Amanda Paxson to cross the plate. Those two runs ended up being enough support for Bright, who improved to 15-9 on the season after she allowed seven hits and fanned eight for the complete-game victory. Canisius freshman Madi Weathers took the loss for the Griffs after she gave up two runs on 10 hits while posting one strikeout.

In the Griffs' first game of the day, Monmouth (18-23) took control of the contest with a five-run third inning, where the Hawks had four hits and took advantage of a Canisius fielding error. Canisius scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the third to make the score 6-1 when Nappo scored on an RBI-double by Berzins, but Monmouth put any thoughts of a Canisius rally to bed by scoring four runs in the fourth before tacking on two insurance runs in the fifth. Monmouth starter Sydney Underhill earned the complete-game win for the Hawks after she allowed one run on three hits while walking three and striking out two. Weathers started the game for Canisius and took the loss after she gave up five runs, three earned, on five hits in two innings of action. Mackie allowed seven runs, five earned, on eight hits to go with two walks in three innings in relief.

With the win in the elimination game, Manhattan advances to face No. 4 seed Siena on Friday. That game will be played at 1:30 p.m. Monmouth is now 2-0 in the tournament, and the Hawks will face No. 2 seed Fairfield at 11 a.m., on Friday, with the winner advancing to the MAAC Softball Championship game on Saturday.

Game Notes: Canisius was making its first appearance in the MAAC Softball Championship since 2012… The loss ended the careers of two Griffs – seniors Michelle DelPrince and Robin Kennery… DelPrince, who earned All-MAAC First-Team honors on Wednesday, had two hits in the loss to Manhattan… Berzins hit a team-best .444 on the season, which ties her for the eighth-highest single-season batting average in program history, and it also stands as the highest batting average for a Griff (among players with 50 at-bats) since former Canisius player Ellie Hanover hit .451 in 1997… Berzins' team-high 63 hits ranks fifth on the school's single-season hits chart… Sophomore Lindsey Silfer had 38 RBI to lead the way for Canisius… Those 38 runs batted in this season ties her for 12th in program history for RBI in a year.