POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The eighth-seeded Sacred Heart University softball team suffered a heart-breaking 1-0 loss to fifth-seeded Canisius in its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championship debut on Wednesday afternoon at Marist's Gartland Athletic Field in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., bringing an end to SHU's 2025 season. 

The Pioneers finish the year with a 21-27 overall record, their second straight 20-win season. SHU's appearance in the MAAC Tournament is also a first in the team's first season in the league. 

Team Records:
No. 8 Sacred Heart (21-27, 11-13 MAAC)
No. 5 Canisius (26-24, 15-10 MAAC)

CAN 1, SHU 0
Pitchers:
Sam Kowalski (SHU) - (L, 6.0 innings pitched, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts, 12-15 record)
Olivia Manchester (CAN) - (W, 7.0 innings pitched, 0 earned runs, 3 strikeouts, 17-5 record)

Top Performers:
Sam Kowalski – 1-2, 1 double, 1 walk
Kaelyn Freed– 1-3, 1 double 

Of Note:
The start of today's game was dominated by the pitching, as the score remained tied at 0-0 after three innings. SHU held a 2-1 advantage in hits, but the Golden Griffins kept the Pios stranded to keep the game scoreless. Sam Kowalski was strong through her first three frames, striking out four and allowing just one hit. 

The Griffs took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Canisius started the inning by loading the bases with no outs, but two pop-ups and a strikeout limited the damage to one run. 

Sacred Heart had chances to tie the score in both the fifth and seventh innings, with runners on both times. Unfortunately for the Pios, Canisius' Olivia Manchester got out of both jams. Savannah Moore's single in the seventh gave SHU its last chance to tie the score before the end of the game, but a pop-out in the next at-bat ended the contest. 

Kowalski continued to show why she is one of the best pitchers in the league, finishing with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings while allowing one run. She ends her junior season with a career-high 180 strikeouts and a career-best ERA of 2.17. 

The Pioneers finished the contest with a 4-3 advantage in hits, as four different SHU batters tallied a base knock. Kowalski and Kaelyn Freed each had a double, while Elle Leckrone and Moore recorded singles.