Allowing two earned runs in 15 innings, the Canisius College baseball team swept a doubleheader at Bucknell on Saturday. The Golden Griffins won 4-3 in eight innings in the first game and 4-1 in the second game. Canisius is now 10-9 and has won four in a row and seven of nine.
In the first game, Doug Shribman got Bucknell on the board with a leadoff homer in the second off Canisius starter Alex MacKenzie. The Golden Griffins took the lead with a three-run fifth.
Branson Joseph started the inning with a walk and scored on a double from Perry Silverman. Kevin Mailloux followed with an RBI double of his own, scoring Silverman. After a sacrifice bunt from Kevin Mahoney, Shayne Willson scored Mailloux with a sacrifice fly.
Bucknell responded with two runs in the bottom of the fifth, tying the game at 3-3. Bret Sokirka reached on a two-out walk. Ben Allen then doubled to put runners at second and third, but errors from Mailloux and Mahoney following Allen's double scored both runs.
The game went extra innings as the doubleheader was scheduled for two seven-inning contests, and Canisius won it in the eighth. Brian Burton led off with a single to short. Connor Burke pinch ran for Burton and moved to second on an error by Bucknell pitcher Alex Cillo. Brad Medici doubled to right, putting runners at second and third. Steve McQuail brought Burke home with a sacrifice fly to right.
MacKenzie (2-1) went the distance, allowing three runs, one earned, on eight hits while walking one and striking out eight.
In the second game, Canisius got on the board in the fifth as McQuail doubled and Burke followed with a walk. After a sacrifice bunt from Medici put runners at second and third, Burke and McQuail scored on consecutive wild pitches to make it 2-0.
The Griffs made it 3-0 in the sixth when Ian Choy led off with a double. A single by McQuail put runners at the corners and then Burke singled up the middle to give Canisius the three-run lead. A solo homer by Mahoney in the seventh pushed the lead to 4-0.
Matt Weber (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings to pick up the win. Aaron Boag threw a scoreless 1.1 innings of relief while Willson allowed one run in 1.2 innings of relief and picked up his second save of the season.
Canisius concludes its Spring Break trip with a single game against Bucknell on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
Game Notes: Canisius has a winning record for the first time this season... Burke has at least one hit in 14 of his 15 starts this season... Choy has raised his batting average 78 points since March 15, going 6-for-17 during that stretch... Mailloux extended his on-base streak to 25 games... McQuail had his fourth three-hit game, the most of any Canisius player this season... Silverman is 11-for-20 in the last five games... Weber has allowed two runs in his last 8.1 innings pitched... Canisius starting pitchers have allowed four earned runs in the last 20 innings... Mahoney extended his hitting streak to seven games, the longest current streak on the team... Weber made his first start since May 2, 2007, against Buffalo and earned his first win in a start since May 14, 2006, against Rider.
