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Canisius University Athletics

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Softball Celebrating Walk-Off Win to send them to MAAC Championship Game May 13, 2022 vs. Iona
Ken Morey
1
Iona ION 23-25
2
Winner Canisius CAN 31-16
Iona ION
23-25
1
Final
2
Canisius CAN
31-16
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Iona ION 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 0
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 7 1

W: Giese, Megan (13-8) L: Zazzaro,Kara (12-11)

Game Recap: Softball |

Softball Advances to MAAC Championship Game with Walk-Off Win Over Iona

Canisius sophomore Christie McGee-Ross' RBI-single back up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the seventh proved to be the difference, as the top-seeded Golden Griffins advanced to the championship game of the 2022 MAAC Softball Tournament with a 2-1, walk-off win over six-seed Iona on Friday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
Canisius trailed 1-0 heading into the home-half of the seventh and was down to its last out when junior Sophia Recrosio got the rally started with an infield-single. After the next two Canisius batters walked to load the bases, graduate student Erin Hufford, the 2022 MAAC Player of the Year, made the score 1-1 with an infield-single of her own. Moments later, McGee-Ross singled through the left side, allowing freshman Emily Ilano to cross the plate as the game-winning run.
 
With the victory, Canisius advances to the 2022 MAAC Softball Championship final round on Saturday. The Griffs (31-16) will be making their 19th appearance in the MAAC Softball Championship final round since joining the conference prior to the start of the 1989-90 academic year.
 
Game Recap
In a game that featured the last two MAAC Pitchers of the Year, Canisius sophomore Megan Giese (2022) and Iona's Kara Zazzaro (2021), offense was at a premium in the first game of the day. Canisius recorded two hits through the first three innings, while Iona did not record a base hit in the contest until Brianna Buck singled through the left-side of Canisius' infield with two outs in the fifth. The Griffs had their best chance to score runs in the home-half of the sixth inning after Hufford led off the frame with a double to the fence in left-center, and then advanced to third base on a wild pitch. However, Zazzaro kept the Blue and Gold off the board in the sixth, as she struck out two Canisius batters to end the scoring threat and send the game to the seventh tied at 0-0.
 
Iona (23-25) posted the first run of the game in the top-half of the seventh after sophomore catcher Jamie Sheeran drove a 1-0 offering from Giese over the fence in left to make the score 1-0 in favor of the Gaels. Iona looked to add on more runs in the seventh with two runners on and two outs, but Giese was able to get out of the jam by inducing a ground ball out to close out the frame. That set-up the last-inning heroics for the Blue and Gold, which entered the game 1-6 on the season in contests decided by one-run.
 
Giese earned the victory in the circle for Canisius to improve her record to 2-0 in the tournament and 13-8 on the year. The Buffalo, N.Y., native allowed just one run on three hits to go with nine strikeouts and two walks. Hufford finished the day by going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while McGee-Ross added a pair of hits in the winning effort as well for Canisius.
 
Zazzaro was the tough-luck loser in the circle for Iona, moving her record to 12-11 on the year. She allowed two runs on seven hits while fanning seven and walking four. Sheeran's homer in the seventh was the only extra-base hit on the day for the Gaels, who ended the contest by having just two runners reach as far as second base in the game.
 
Game Notes
• Canisius has now advanced to the MAAC Championship final round in two consecutive years after not playing in the tournament final since 2010.
• The Griffs improved to 6-4 all-time against Iona in the MAAC Softball Championship tournament.
• The victory extended Canisius' win streak to a season-best 11-straight games.
• Giese's nine strikeouts on Friday gives her five or more strikeouts in a game 17 times this year.
• Hufford's three-hit performance was her 17th multi-hit game this year. Of those 17 multi-hit efforts, she has posted three hits eight times.
• Ilano has now scored a run in three of the Griffs' last five games.
 
Up Next
• Canisius will look to secure the 13th MAAC Softball Championship in program history on Saturday, when the Griffs take on either Siena or Iona at 11 a.m., at the Demske Sports Complex. In the double-elimination format of this event, an if necessary game will be played at 1:30 p.m. All games of the 2022 MAAC Softball Championship are being broadcast live on ESPN+
 
For complete coverage of Canisius softball, please follow @griffssoftball on Instagram and Twitter.
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