Canisius sophomore Moriah Harris hit her second homer in the last two days and fellow sophomores Erika Mackie and Madi Weathers combined to allow just one run on eight hits as Canisius softball picked up its first win of the season on Monday, defeating UC Riverside 4-1 in the first game of a non-league doubleheader in Riverside, Calif.
The host Highlanders picked up their third victory of the season in the second game of the twibill with a 6-1 win. In that game, UC Riverside starter Kaylynn Pierce allowed just one run on three hits while striking out nine.
Canisius will return to Feb. 25-28, when the team travels south to take part in the Winthrop/Adidas Tournament in Rock Hill, S.C.
GAME 1 – Canisius 4, UC Riverside 1
After playing three scoreless innings, Canisius (1-6) got on the scoreboard first in the top-half of the third on an RBI-single by junior Jessica Berzins. A solo homer from Harris to lead off the top of the fifth put the Griffs up 2-0, but the Highlanders cut that lead in half by scoring a single-run in the bottom-half of the fifth. However, that would be the last time UC Riverside scored in game one, and two insurance runs in the seventh put the game away for Canisius. In the seventh, freshman Madison Aston picked up an RBI-single back up the middle to help the Canisius effort.
Mackie earned her first win of the season after she went 4.0 innings and allowed a run on six hits to go with three strikeouts and three walks. Weathers earned her first save of the season after she threw a scoreless three frames, where she allowed just two hits.
Harris had two hits in the win, while freshman Denver Keller and Kaitlin Ishman also had hits and scored runs in the winning effort for the Blue and Gold.
GAME 2 – UC Riverside 6, Canisius 1
UC Riverside took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, and then broke the game open with five runs in the home-half of the fifth en route to the 6-1 win. The Griffs' lone run of the game came in the top of the seventh when Keller stole home in a double-steal attempt along with Ishman.
Pierce improved her record to 1-1 on the season in the circle for UC Riverside after she allowed just one run on three hits to go nine strikeouts. Freshman Allie Block took the loss after started the game for Canisius and allowed four runs on four hits in 4.1 innings of work.
