Sophomore Ella Johel went 3-for-4 at the plate with four RBI to propel Canisius to an 11-3 victory in five innings versus Lafayette on the final day of the Penn State Invitational Sunday at the Nittany Lion Softball & Beard Filed in State College, Pa.

The Golden Griffins improved to 6-9 on the season with the win as they finished the PSU Invitational with a 3-2 record. The Leopards fell to 0-15 on the campaign with the setback.

Canisius got things started in the top of the first, plating three runs when Johel doubled to bring home senior Alyssa Cloutier before Johel scored on a passed ball and senior Emily Ilano crossed the plate after a Leopards error.

The Griffs doubled their lead to 6-0 in the top of the second with Johel bringing home Cloutier and freshman Tabitha von Kolen with a two-run single before Johel scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.

Lafayette got two runs back in the top of the third with a RBI double from MG O'Neill and a sac fly from Emma Ahlborn, but sophomore Rebecca Hai answered back with a two-run homer to left field in the top of third to reinstate the Griffs six-run lead.

The Leopards scored once in the top of the fourth on a Maggie Klug groundout that brought home Katie Harrington to trim the deficit to 8-3.

Canisius closed out the contest with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, starting with a solo home run from junior Bailey Alatorre, followed by a single from von Kolen and and a double by Johel, to enact the eight-run mercy rule.

Sophomore Liv Herrington got the start in the circle for Canisius, throwing 3.2 innings. She allowed three runs on five hits. Sophomore Olivia Manchester came in for relief, surrendering one hit in 1.1 innings of work.

GAME NOTES
• Alatorre has now homered in three straight games with her 
• Hai recorded her first collegiate home run with the two-run shot in the third inning. 
• The Griffs stole five bases, with Ilano leading the way with two swiped bags. 
• Johel set a career high in RBI with four and recorded her ninth multi-hit game of the season.
• Six Golden Griffins recorded multiple hits in the victory.
• Canisius recorded double-digit hits for the third straight game as they finished with 14 base knocks, highlighted by their four extra-base hits. 

UP NEXT
Canisius heads to Baltimore, Md., to take part in the UMBC Spring Invite March 15-16. The Griffs are scheduled to compete against Lehigh, Colgate and the host Retrievers during the two-day event. 

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