Griffs cleared to fly on last MAAC tour

By: Ian Caskie, sports reporter

After unsuccessful visits to local rivals Niagara and the UB, the Canisius softball team is gearing up for their final conference matchups of the season.

The team is coming off a long stay in Western New York where they hosted four MAAC rivals across a ten-game homestand, and then made trips to Lewiston and Amherst to face their Big Four foes. The long stretch did not tire the Griffs as the team was finally able to climb above a .500 win percentage, and they came out of the WNY respite with an overall record of 21 wins and 20 losses on the season. 

Fortunately for the Griffs, their only series loss came in the pair of non-conference games against the cross-town UB Bulls. Sophomore Ella Johel once again got the Griffs in the air early with a first inning triple. A three-run blast by the Bulls’ Abbey Nagel was too much to overcome. After a Rosie Gomez two-run blast in the fifth tied the game at 3–3, the Griffs went quiet on the basepaths, with only two players reaching base the rest of the game. The Bulls would add a run in the bottom of the fifth, taking game one 4–3. The silence from the Griffins’ den would continue into the second game of the day, as Canisius was shut out by a score of 4–0. 

Not to be overlooked over this stretch is the performances by the outfielders. Tabitha von Kolen went 15 for 32 on the Demske turf, and was recognized as the MAAC Rookie of the Week. Von Kolen has built up an impressive freshman season, and is currently second on the squad in batting average (.354) and runs (31) to go along with 18 RBIs and 17 stolen bases. Leading the team in nearly every step is Johel, who is leading the conference in triples, third in the conference in average (.415) and fourth in OPS (1.172), which tracks how many times she gets on base in addition to how many extra base hits she is scored. Alyssa Cloutier is also having a standout season. The senior left fielder is currently in second place on the conference stolen base leaderboard with 21 to go along with a .327 average and team-leading 17 walks.

Canisius is sitting towards the top of the standings in fifth place, and their 11–6 MAAC record is right in contention with a number of other schools. Six schools (Marist, Fairfield, Canisius, Quinnipiac, Siena and Rider) are all within three wins of each other. Canisius will see one of these teams, the Siena Saints, this upcoming weekend, whose conference record of 10–7–1 places them just behind the Griffs in the standings. 

Those games have been slightly rescheduled due to rain, so there will now be a doubleheader on Friday, April 25, followed by the final game of the series on Sunday, April 27. Canisius will then mosey down to Manhattan to face the Jaspers for a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 29. The Griffs then convene for their final flock at the Demske, where they will play Sacred Heart for two games on Friday, May 2, with the final game of the regular season campaign the next day, May 3.