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Morgan Altman rips a two-run homer against Fairfield in a MAAC softball game March 27, 2021 at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.
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3
Winner Fairfield FFD 4-1, 4-1 MAAC
2
Canisius CAN 1-4, 1-4 MAAC
Winner
Fairfield FFD
4-1, 4-1 MAAC
3
Final
2
Canisius CAN
1-4, 1-4 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Fairfield FFD 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 3 5 1
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 5 2

W: Rhinehart, Lauryn (3-0) L: Giese, Megan (0-2)

9
Fairfield FFD 4-2, 4-2 MAAC
10
Winner Canisius CAN 2-4, 2-4 MAAC
Fairfield FFD
4-2, 4-2 MAAC
9
Final
10
Canisius CAN
2-4, 2-4 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Fairfield FFD 1 0 3 0 0 3 1 1 9 7 1
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 4 4 0 0 2 10 15 3

W: Cantley, Sarah (1-0) L: Rhinehart, Lauryn (3-1)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Earns Spilt with Fairfield After Altman’s Walk-Off Hit

Canisius graduate student Morgan Altman drove in the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth with a single to the gap in left-center to push freshman Christie McGee-Ross across the plate, as the Golden Griffins posted a 10-9 win in eight innings over Fairfield in the second game of a MAAC softball doubleheader Saturday evening at the Demske Sports Complex. The win allowed Canisius to earn a split in the Griffs' 2021 home opener after the Stags scored a 3-2 victory in the first game of the day.
 
Canisius' win in game two ended the team's three-game slide and moved the Blue and Gold to 2-4 on the season. Fairfield is now 4-2 in 2021.
 
Game One Recap
Fairfield senior Sam Merino went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI, and fellow senior Lauryn Rhinehart picked up her third win of the season in the circle as the Stags posted a 3-2 win over Canisius in the first game of the day. Merino got the Stags on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth with an RBI-single and she later scored in that frame on a base hit by teammate Mikayla Rubin that gave the visiting team a 2-0 lead. In the seventh, Merino led off the inning with a solo shot over the fence in right center to push the Stags' margin to 3-0.
 
Canisius would score both of its runs in the bottom-half of the seventh to make the score 3-2. With a runner on second and two outs, Altman went yard for her first home run of the season, which allowed senior Kara Paradowski to score as well. Senior Samantha Crane followed Altman's homer by drawing a walk, placing the tying run at first, but Rhinehart got a strikeout to end the rally and secure the game for Fairfield.
 
Rhinehart picked up the win in the circle after she went the distance and allowed two runs on five hits to go with six walks and five strikeouts. Canisius freshman Megan Giese took the loss for the Blue and Gold after she gave up three runs on five hits to go with nine strikeouts and two walks in seven innings of work.
 
Altman ended the first game by going 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored. Paradowski and freshmen Gianna Fazzolari and Sydney Costan each had a base hit in the losing effort for the Blue and Gold.
 
Game Two Recap
Altman's single to the gap in left-center allowed McGee-Ross to score from first as the Blue and Gold scored two runs in the home-half of the eighth to secure the 10-9 victory. Canisius led 8-4 heading into the sixth, but Fairfield trimmed that lead to 8-7 thanks to a pair of Canisius fielding errors in that inning. Rubin tied the game at 8-8 in seventh with a lead-off homer to straight-away center, and then Fairfield took a 9-8 lead in the eighth after sophomore Haley Updegraff raced home from third-base on a double-steal opportunity.
 
Canisius graduate student Sue Vi led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk, and she quickly moved to third base as the game-tying run. She would score moments later on an infield-single by McGee-Ross, who was able to drop a base hit just in front of a diving Maddy Robicheau at shortstop. McGee-Ross would race around the bases and score from first on Altman's ensuing single to the gap, as Canisius recorded its first walk-off win of the 2021 campaign.
 
McGhee-Ross was one of three Canisius player to record multiple-hits in the game two victory, as the Blue and Gold pounded out 15 hits off four different Fairfield pitchers. Fazzolari went 4-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored in the nightcap, with Altman going 3-for-5 with a double, a run scored and an RBI. Vi had one hit, a two-run homer in the fourth that tied the game at 4-4, while Costan also posted her first career homer in the win as well – a three-run shot in the fifth that gave the home team an 8-4 lead.
 
Sophomore Sarah Cantley came on in relief and picked up the win in the circle for Canisius after she allowed one run on one hit to go with two strikeouts in two innings of work. Canisius starter Emily Nicosia went six innings and allowed eight runs, only two of which were earned, on six hits to go with four strikeouts and three walks.
 
Head Coach Kim Griffin's Postgame Comments
"That second game was a hard-fought, team win. Our pitchers have been keeping us in every game this season, and our goal on offense is to answer back with runs after our opponents score. I thought we did a really good job of answering back today, especially in the second game."
 
"Our roster is unique in the fact that we have a lot of young players and a bunch of players who are in their fifth year with the program. Our younger players are getting a lot of great experience in MAAC games, and they are making plays when we need them. We told our fifth-year players to enjoy this season. They should take this chance to play free and look at this extra year as a gift. Both Sue [Vi] and Morgan [Altman] did that today and they were both big parts of this victory."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's games were the 77th and 78th all-time meeting between these two programs. Canisius leads the series 42-36.
• Saturday also marked the first time Canisius played a home game at the Demske Sports Complex since May 4, 2019 – a span of 693 days.
• Canisius has recorded 15 hits in each of its two wins this season. The Blue and Gold also racked up 15 hits in the 11-0 win over Monmouth March 20.
• Including Saturday's action, five of Canisius' six games this season have been decided by one run.
• The win in eight innings in the second game is Canisius' first extra-inning victory since March 20, 2019, when the team defeated Charlotte 8-4 in eight frames.
• The homer for Altman in game one was the eighth of her career, and her first since 2019.
• All four of Cantley's wins in the circle have come in relief appearances.
 
Up Next
Canisius close out its weekend set with Fairfield with a MAAC doubleheader on Sunday, March 28. Game one at the Demske Sports Complex is set to start at noon.
 
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