After playing a pair of one-run games on Saturday, the Canisius offense came to life on Sunday as the Golden Griffins cruised to a MAAC doubleheader sweep of Iona at home thanks to a pair of mercy-rule wins over the Gaels. Canisius (12-25, 3-3 MAAC) took game one 14-6 in five innings before earning a 12-4 victory in game two. Iona is now 8-24 on the season and 2-6 in MAAC games.
Canisius junior Lindsey Silfer continued her hot stretch on Sunday, as she went a combined 4-for-6 with a double, three runs scored and five RBIs in the pair of Griff victories. Senior Alexis Roman had three hits in the twinbill, and she also drove in a run, scored five times and stole three bases. Junior Jessica Berzins had three hits, a double, a triple and a three-run homer on Sunday, while scoring four times and driving in six RBI. Canisius sophomore pitcher Madi Weathers earned the wins in both games for the Blue and Gold. In her two appearances, she threw 4.2 innings, where she allowed three runs on six hits while fanning three. Canisius has now taken four-straight games from Iona and the team's 26 total runs on Sunday are the most for the Griffs in a MAAC doubleheader since April 22, 1992, when the Blue and Gold defeated long-time rival Niagara by scores of 13-0 and 14-0.
Game One – Canisius 14, Iona 6 – 5 innings
Canisius jumped out to an early 6-0 lead after the game's first two frames, and then broke the game open with an eight-spot in the fourth en route to the 14-6 mercy-rule victory. Leading 2-0 in the second, Canisius scored four times, highlighted by a three-run home by Berzins with one out in the inning. Canisius added another run later in the frame on an RBI-single to center field off the bat of Silfer, which allowed Roman to score from second base.
Iona scored five times in the top-half of the third to make the score 6-5, but Canisius answered with eight runs in the fourth, the team's highest-scoring single-inning of the season. In that inning, Silfer had an RBI-single, freshman Lauren Castro drove in a run with a base hit, senior Meghan Cuda earned a bases loaded walk to drive in a run and freshman Destiny Holani knocked in a run with a ground-out. After an Iona pitching change, Berzins stepped to the plate and cleared the bases with a triple to left center to give the Griffs a 14-5 lead through four innings.
Canisius scored its 14 runs on 10 hits, led by Silfer's three base hits. All of Canisius' starters scored at least a run in the win, and Weathers earned her second win of the season in the circle after she tossed 2.2 innings of relief where she allowed one run on two hits while striking out two and walking one.
Game Two – Canisius 12, Iona 4 – 5 innings
After two scoreless innings to start, Canisius broke the game open with four runs in the third, two more in the fourth and then six runs in the bottom of the fifth to post the 12-4 win in five innings.
Iona scored twice in the top-half of the third to take a 2-0 lead, but the Blue and Gold answered with four runs in the home-half of the frame to take the lead for good. In that inning, Silfer earned an RBI by drawing a bases-loaded walk, Castro knocked in a run with a base-hit back up the middle and freshman Denver Keller drove in a run with a single to center. Sophomore Moriah Harris also scored in that inning on a wild pitch. Canisius added two runs in the fourth on an RBI-single by Silfer and a bases-loaded walk issued to Castro, and then the game ended early in the fifth as Canisius crossed the plate six times, with the game-ending RBI-hit coming off the bat of Keller, who took a 2-2 offering to shallow center that allowed Harris to score easily from third base.
Weathers came on in relief of Castro and picked up the win for the Griffs after she allowed two runs on five hits while walking one and fanning one in three innings of work. Canisius tallied 10 hits in the game two victory as well, the third-straight game where the Blue and Gold's offense produced 10 hits.
Canisius will play its next seven games on the road, starting April 20 at St. Bonaventure. The single-game in Olean, N.Y., is set to begin at 5 p.m.Â
