Softball Begins Conference Play at Marist and Quinnipiac

Games 22-25
Canisius (10-11) at Marist (10-18) and Quinnipiac (11-9)
Dates: Sunday, April 2 | Monday, April 3
Times: 12:00/2:30 p.m. | 11:00 a.m./1:30 p.m.
Location: Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | Hamden, Conn.
Live Stats: Through goredfoxes.com and gobobcats.com
Twitter: @GriffsSoftball | #Griffs | #MAACSoftball

• First Pitch
The Canisius softball team looks to defend its conference championship as it opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play on Sunday at Marist and Monday at Quinnipiac.

First pitches of the opening games are slated for noon and 11 a.m., respectively.

Due to impending weather, the contests were pushed back from their originally scheduled dates.

Canisius will open conference play against the Red Foxes and Bobcats for the second straight season and for the third time in the last five campaigns in which there have been conference games played.

• Last Time Out
Canisius dropped a pair of games against Syracuse in the team's home opener March 22 by scores of 3-1 and 7-4. Sophomore Rosie Gomez hit a home run in the first game while graduate Nicole Rivait left the yard in game two.

In the circle, junior Megan Giese went the distance for the Griffs, striking out seven batters while allowing just three hits.

Freshman Gabi Farris had a strong day offensively, picking up hits in all three trips to the plate while also scoring a run in the second inning of game two.

• Ready to Defend the Crown
After winning its MAAC-best 13th conference trophy last season, Canisius is set to defend the title when it begins conference play this weekend.

The Griffs have an all-time conference record of 338-162, which is good for a .676 win percentage.

Canisius has won 33 of the 56 meetings against Marist and holds a 15-4 advantage over Quinnipiac.

The Blue and Gold defeated the Red Foxes, 5-2, in Canisius' opening contest during the 2022 MAAC Softball Championship. The Griffs would go on to defeat Iona, 2-1, before lifting the trophy after shutting out Siena, 4-0.

• Giese is Heating Up
Junior Megan Giese has started to find her groove in the circle the last few weeks.

In her last three starts dating back to March 12 versus Houston Christian, Giese has allowed just three earned runs while posting a 2-1 record.

In those starts, the righty has gone 19 innings, holding a 1.11 ERA while striking out 19 batters.

After throwing a seven inning complete game against Syracuse, Giese has now gone the distance in four of her last five starts in the circle, including a pair of complete game shutouts.

Giese has fanned 59 batters in 64.2 innings in 2023, giving her 316 career punchouts. That number is good for 11th all-time in career strikeouts.

• Up Next
The Blue and Gold will return to Western New York to host Little Three rival St. Bonaventure on Wednesday for a non-conference doubleheader at the Demske Sports Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

For complete coverage of Canisius softball, please follow @griffssoftball on Instagram and Twitter.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Megan Giese: P/INF; 5' 7"; Junior; R/R

#42 Rosie Gomez: INF; 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R

#10 Nicole Rivait: INF/C; 5' 6"; Graduate Student; R/R

#14 Gabi Farris: OF; 5' 0"; Freshman; L/R

Players Mentioned

#17 Megan Giese
: 5' 7"; Junior; R/R
: P/INF

#42 Rosie Gomez
: 5' 9"; Sophomore; R/R
: INF

#10 Nicole Rivait
: 5' 6"; Graduate Student; R/R
: INF/C

#14 Gabi Farris
: 5' 0"; Freshman; L/R
: OF