Behind a no-hitter and two-run home run from senior Megan Giese, the Canisius softball team split a pair of games with Manhattan in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) softball action Wednesday at the Demske Sports Complex.
Giese's no-hitter, the third of her career, came in the Golden Griffins' 4-1 win over Manhattan in the third game of the MAAC series. Giese is the fourth Canisius pitcher in program history to record three-or more career no-hitters, and she is the first Griffs pitcher to accomplish that feat since Canisius Hall of Famer Andrea Bunten.
Manhattan claimed the first game of the day, a game that was halted on Tuesday evening due to rain and wind, by the score of 9-3. Canisius is now 18-17 overall and 13-7 in conference action, while the Jaspers moved to 10-33 overall and 7-10 in league play.
GAME ONE - Completed after being halted on Tuesday
This first game of the day started on Tuesday evening and was halted in the fifth inning due to weather with Manhattan leading 5-2.
On Tuesday, the Jaspers put up a four-spot in the second inning thanks to a single by Gabriella Mazzotta that drove in two runs, followed by a single by Lauren Rende that also knocked in a pair.
Sophomore Gabi Farris got the Griffs on the scoreboard in the home-half of the second with an RBI-single that drove in senior Sydney Costan to cut the Manhattan lead to 4-1, but the Jaspers pushed their lead back to four at 5-1 in the top of the fourth on an RBI-ground out by Maddy Weir. The Griffs got that run back in the home-half of the fourth after junior Emily Ilano drew a bases-loaded walk, but then the game was called due to rain and wind, with Manhattan up 5-2.
On Wednesday afternoon, Rende put the game away for Manhattan after she hit a grand slam in the top-half of the seventh to give the visiting team a 9-2 lead. Canisius added a run in the bottom of the frame when Costan scored on an infield error by the Jaspers to cap the game's scoring.
Junior Kate Wiggins got the start in the circle and took the loss after she allowed four runs on six hits in 1.1 innings of work. Manhattan starter Ava Metzger earned the win for the Jaspers after she gave up two runs on three hits while striking out six and walking nine in 4.0 innings of action.
GAME TWO
The second game of the day on Wednesday started with Manhattan's Mazzotta drawing a lead-off walk from Giese. Later in the frame, Mazzotta crossed the plate on a sac-fly to right field off the bat of Weir to give the Jaspers the 1-0 lead.
The Griffs answered right back with a pair of runs in the home-half of the first. Senior Christie McGee-Ross tied the game at 1-1 when she scored on a wild pitch, and moments later, fellow senior Gianna Fazzolari smacked her team-leading 10th homer of the season to give Canisius the 2-1 lead.
The rest of the game belonged to Geise, who faced just three batters over the minimum over the game's final six innings. Giese helped her own cause as well at the plate with a two-run homer in the fourth to gave Canisius the 4-1 lead.
Giese issues a lead-off walk to start the seventh inning, but proceeded to retire the next three Manhattan batters to secure the no-hit win. The game's last out was a strikeout, one of her six on the day, as she fanned Manhattan's Bella Cahueque looking to end the contest.
The Griffs collected seven hits in the win, with Giese recorded a two-hit effort while driving in a pair. McGee-Ross went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in the victory to go with a stolen base as well.
GAME NOTES
• Canisius moved to 61-23 all-time against Manhattan with Wednesday's split.
• Giese's two previous no-hitters, which came against Monmouth and Niagara, came during the 2022 season.
• Giese leads the MAAC with 158 strikeouts this season, and her win in the second game was her MAAC-leading 15th of the year.
• Fazzolari needs one more home run to earn a tie for the program record for home runs in a season, a record which is currently held by Paige Freiberger (2010) and Lauren Castro (2017).
• Costan recorded her first multi-hit game of the season in the halted game that was completed Wednesday after she went 2-for-3 with a walk.
UP NEXT
Canisius will travel to Marist to play its final MAAC series of the regular season this weekend, starting Saturday with a doubleheader. First pitch in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., is set for noon.
