Softball mercy rules Sacred Heart, splits Saturday doubleheader

By: Cassandra Ercoli, Sports Reporter

The Canisius Golden Griffins needed just five innings to defeat the Sacred Heart Pioneers on Saturday with a bounceback 9–1 result after dropping the opening game of the series earlier that day.

The Griffs exploded for 14 hits en route to a blowout victory via mercy rule, including a three-hit performance by junior Ella Johel, who notched her second home run on the day. Despite being down 1–0 after the first inning, Canisius scored in every inning after, including five in the third, as three other Griffs collected multiple hits. 

The win also marked sophomore pitcher Mikaila Obenrader’s first win of the season. Obenrader gave up four hits and just the one run in the first to shut down the Pios and secure the mercy rule win. 

In the first of two games on Saturday, the Pios took the win 6–2 thanks to a four-run fourth inning and a seven-strikeout complete game performance by senior pitcher Sam Kowalski. Three Pios had a multi-hit game, including junior Cierra Bender who drove in five of Sacred Heart’s six runs. Kowalski also helped on the offensive side with a hit of her own, which led to the Pios’ sixth run.

In the fifth inning, Johel launched her team-leading third home run of the season to put two runs on the board for the Griffs. Junior Olivia Manchester got the start for the Blue and Gold before giving up four runs on six hits and punching out just one batter in three innings of work. Fellow junior Liv Herrington pitched the rest of the game with two hits, runs, strikeouts and walks.

In the series-deciding game on Sunday, one that could’ve gone either way, both teams sent out their winning pitchers. Obenrader gave up five hits and one run in just over two innings before passing it down to sophomore Taylor McManus after the Pios took a 1–0 lead in the third. McManus held the Pios hitless in the fourth and fifth innings, with two punch outs in the fifth, but so too were the Griffs. 

After giving up a single to the first batter in the sixth, Herrington came in for McManus. With the bases loaded, a single by Elle Leckrone put the Pios up 3–0 before Bender sent home Leckrone later in the inning. Sacred Heart would hold the Griffs to one run in the top of the seventh to take home the series win, winning Sunday 4–1.

With their mid-week series against the University at Buffalo postponed to March 25, the Griffs will turn their focus to their upcoming conference matchup against the Merrimack Warriors this weekend in North Andover, Mass.

Merrimack currently sits at the bottom of the conference standings with a winless record of 0–5, dropping both of its first two conference series to Mount St. Mary’s and Fairfield. During their first season as a member of the MAAC in 2025, the Warriors finished with a conference record of 9–14 (.391) and was the first team to miss a playoff berth. 

This weekend’s matchup between the Griffs and the Warriors will mark the first time the two teams have met in conference play. In 16 games of play, the Warriors currently rank last in batting average (.211) and are bottom of the barrel in on-base percentage (.311). 

The Griffs hold the upper hand in most statistical categories except fielding, where they have committed 21 errors and where opponents have been perfect on stolen base attempts this season. 

The first pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader is set for 12 p.m. with the second game scheduled for 2 p.m. The series will conclude Sunday with a 12 p.m. start time before the Griffs arrive back in Buffalo for two weekday doubleheaders against Siena and Buffalo.

Via Jarrett Abelson