The Canisius softball team split a MAAC doubleheader with defending MAAC champion Fairfield Saturday evening at the Demske Sports Complex, taking game one 5-4 before falling in the nightcap 6-5. Canisius is now 10-25 overall and 1-3 in league play, while the Stags moved to 16-15 overall and 4-2 in conference games.
Canisius junior Lindsey Silfer finished the day by going 6-for-8 with a double, a two-run homer, three RBI and a run scored. Her two-run shot in the third inning of the second game was her team-leading eighth of the season and the 16th in her career, which ties her for second all-time in program history with former Griff Katie Lancellotti on the school's career home run list. She now leads the team with her .400 batting average (42-for-105), and her 29 RBI this season gives her 84 in her career, which is 18th most in school history.
The Blue and Gold will close out the weekend at home on Sunday when the team plays a MAAC twinbill against Iona. Game one at the Demske Sports Complex is set to begin at 12 p.m.
Game One – Canisius 5, Fairfield 4
Canisius ended its four-game losing skid with a 5-4, come-from-behind victory in the first game of the day. The Stags took advantage of two Canisius errors in the top of the first to jump out to a 3-0 lead, but Canisius was able to rebound and tied the game at 3-3 in the fourth.
Trailing 3-0 in the third, Canisius got on the board to trail by one at 3-2 thanks to RBI-singles from senior Alexis Roman and Silfer. In the fourth, Canisius knotted the game at 3-3 when freshman Destiny Holani was able to score on a throwing error by Fairfield during a run-down between first and second base. The Griffs took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on an RBI-single by freshman Denver Keller, but the Stags evened the score at 4-4 in the seventh on a leadoff homer by sophomore Angelina McGuire. The Griffs were able to load the bases with no outs in the seventh, and after Fairfield was able to get a force out at the plate for the first out of the frame, Holani was drilled by an 0-1 pitch by Fairfield reliever Lauren Falkanger that allowed freshman Lauren Castro to score the game-winning tally from third.
Canisius sophomore Erika Mackie earned her sixth win of the season in the circle after she went the distance and allowed four runs on five hits to go with two walks and a strikeout. Fairfield freshman Karisa Hughen took the loss in relief for the Stags after she allowed a run, a hit and a walk while facing two batters in the seventh.
Canisius pounded out 11 hits in the win, led by Silfers' three hits. Castro and Keller each had two hits in the victory, as did Roman. Junior Jessica Berzins had a triple and scored for Canisius, which improved to 2-2 on the season with the victory.
Game Two – Fairfield 6, Canisius 5
Fairfield scored two runs in the seventh and senior Lauren Falkanger earned her team-leading eighth win of the season after she went seven-full innings and fanned six, as the Stags bounced back for a 6-5 victory.
With the game tied 2-2 in the third, Silfer's two-run homer over the fence in right center put Canisius ahead 4-2. The Griffs scored their runs in the third with two outs, and the inning was extended on a double by sophomore Moriah Harris. Canisius extended its lead to 5-2 in the fourth after Keller ripped her second career homer over the fence in left. Fairfield cut Canisius' cushion to 5-4 in the fifth, and then the Stags added two more runs in the seventh to take the 6-5 lead. The key hit in the seventh for the Stags came off the bat of sophomore Kate Robinson, who ripped a 2-2 pitch from Mackie through the left-side of the Griffs' infield to dive in two runs.
Mackie took the loss in relief for Canisius after she allowed a run, a hit and two walks in 0.2 innings of work. Canisius' Lauren Castro threw 6.1 innings and gave up five runs, three earned, on nine hits while fanning five and walking none.
Canisius had runners on the corner with two outs in the seventh, but the Griffs were not able to push across the tying run. Both teams had 10 hits in the game, with Silfer and Harris each registering multi-hit games for the Griffs.
