The Canisius College baseball team dropped its third straight game, losing 9-4 at the University of Tennessee on Sunday. The Golden Griffins fall to 3-4 overall after getting swept for the first time since March 7-8, 2009, at Radford.
Seniors Will Chomicki and Sean Jamieson each had two hits and a run scored on the day for the Griffs with Chomicki also driving in a run. Senior Brian Burton reached base twice by drawing two walks and also had an RBI.
Canisius scored three runs in the top of the first without getting a hit and without the ball leaving the infield. Chomicki was hit by a pitch and freshman Ryan Coppinger was hit by a pitch. Sean Jamieson laid down a sacrifice bunt, but a two-base throwing error scored Chomicki. The Griffs then used RBI groundouts from Burton and Shane Zimmer to go up 3-0 early.
Tennessee responded by scoring six straight runs - two in the bottom of the first, three in the bottom of the third and one in the bottom of the fifth - to take a 6-3 lead. Catcher Matt Ramsey had an RBI double in the bottom of the first while Charley Thurber hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the third.
Canisius hit into double plays to end the third and fourth innings and left the bases loaded in the fifth. The Griffs made it a 6-4 game in the top of the sixth as Chris Gruarin led off with a single and a pinch-hit single from Drew Pettit put runners at first and second. A passed ball advanced each runner 90 feet and an RBI single from Chomicki made it a two-run game.
Tennessee came right back with a run in the bottom of the sixth to regain the three-run lead. The Griffs were unable to take advantage of a leadoff double from Coppinger in the seventh and hit into their third and fourth double plays of the game to end the eighth and ninth innings.
Freshman Garrett Cortright (1-1) took the loss for the Griffs, allowing six runs and six hits in four innings of work. Tennessee reliever Carter Watson earned the win by allowing one unearned run in 4.2 innings of relief.
Canisius returns to the field for a three-game series next weekend, playing at the University of Maryland. First pitch on Friday is set for 3 p.m.
