Softball begins conference play with road trip to Sacred Heart

By: Cassandra Ercoli, Sports Reporter

After traveling to Marshall University in West Virginia for the Marshall March Madness tournament last week, the Golden Griffins look to begin conference play on the right foot when they visit the Sacred Heart Pioneers this weekend in Fairfield, Conn. 

The Griffs finished nonconference play with a 4–8 record, which ended with a five-game losing streak dating back to their last invitational at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The Blue and Gold were 0–4 at Marshall, but that is not to say there were not any bright spots. 

In their 3–2 loss to Akron, the Griffs combined for eight hits, including two each from junior Ella Johel, senior Sofia Escoto and freshman Michaela Sycalik. Johel and Escoto also hit doubles, marking their second and fourth doubles of the season, respectively. Both are tied for a team-leading 10 hits. 

Over the four-game span at Marshall, junior pitcher Olivia Manchester struck out eight batters in 8 1/3 innings of work, highlighted by a hitless three-inning performance against Akron. The Folsom, Calif. native did not give up a single walk over the weekend, and has only walked two batters all season. 

Sacred Heart begins their season with a 5–12 record, including a 2–1 conference record. The Pioneers took two of three against Siena this past weekend, including a shutout win in the final game, and are coming off a 1–1 mid-week double header against Hofstra on Wednesday. 

In the MAAC, the Pioneers are sixth in batting average (.256) while Canisius sits in 10th (.234), albeit having played eight less games. Heading into the series, the Pioneers do have power on their side as they lead the conference in doubles (30) and home runs (12). 

On the mound, Canisius has issued the least amount of walks to opponents with 28 and has given up just 17 doubles to Sacred Heart’s 34. The Pioneers have surrendered 12 home runs while the Blue and Gold have given up 10, but both teams have recorded some of the conference’s lowest earned run average (4.53 ERA/ Sacred Heart, 4.72 ERA/ Canisius).

Last season, Canisius went undefeated against Sacred Heart through the regular and postseason. The Griffs concluded the regular season with a three-game series against the Pioneers, where they took the first two games, including an 8–0 mercy win in the fifth inning, before the final game was cancelled due to weather conditions. In the first round of the MAAC Championships, the Blue and Gold came out with a 1–0 victory to move on in the tournament. 

This season, however, the preseason coaches poll placed Sacred Heart in fifth while Canisius sits in eighth. The Griffs ended conference play last year with a 15–10 record while the Pioneers finished with a below five-hundred record of 11–13. 

The first two games of the series are scheduled for a double-header on Saturday with start times at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. before the series finale on Sunday at noon.

Via Lindy Feider