The Canisius College baseball team extended its winning streak to nine games with a 7-6 win over Binghamton University in 11 innings at the Bearcats Sports Complex on Thursday afternoon. Canisius improves to 29-10 overall and 21-7 on the road this season.
Junior Jimmy Luppens was 3-for-6 with two RBI. Junior Ryan Coppinger was 2-for-6 with a run scored and a the game-winning RBI while sophomore Mike Krische scored two runs, including the game-winning run. Junior Jose Torralba went 2-for-4 with an RBI while sophomore Mike Booth was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base.
Each team scored a run in the second inning, with the Griffs getting on the board first as sophomore Connor Panas reached on a one-out walk, stole second and moved to third on a single from Torralba. After Torralba moved to second on a wild pitch, Panas would eventually score on a fielding error on a ball hit by Booth. Binghamton tied the game with a solo homer in the third, and the Griffs kept the game tied in the fourth on a home-run-robbing catch from Coppinger.
The first four Canisius batters reached in the top of the fifth as the Griffs scored five runs. Booth led off with a single, Krische was hit by a pitch and an infield single from Coppinger loaded the bases. Luppens scored two runs with a single up the middle, his third hit in his first three at-bats. Later in the inning, a two-RBI, pinch-hit double from freshman Brett Siddall and a two-out, RBI single from Torralba put the Griffs up 6-1.
Binghamton (20-15) would rally late in the game scoring single runs in the sixth and seventh innings before tying the game in the ninth. A two-RBI, bases-loaded double from Jake Thomas cut the Canisius lead to 6-5 and put runners at second and third with one out in the bottom of the ninth. After junior Jon Fitzsimmons got a strikeout for the second out of the inning, a wild pitch on an intentional walk allowed the tying run to score.
Each team got a base runner in the 10th but failed to convert. The Griffs had the leadoff batter reach for the second time in extra innings when Krische led off the 11th with a double. Coppinger followed with a triple to center to put the Griffs up by one.
Senior Scott Whitehead (1-0) threw two scoreless innings of relief to pick up the win. Binghamton had the tying run on second base in the 11th, but Whitehead got a line out to Panas at third to seal the victory.
Canisius returns home for a three-game series this weekend against Marist College. First pitch for Saturday's doubleheader is set for 2 p.m.
Notes: Canisius has won nine consecutive games for the third time in program history, also accomplishing the feat in 2008 and 1986… The nine-game winning streak is tied with Rhode Island for the second longest active streak in the country... Canisius and Binghamton met for the seventh time and for the first time since 2009. Canisius now leads the series 4-3… Fitzsimmons allowed an earned run for the first time this season (21 innings)… Freshman Anthony Massicci extended his hitting streak to 13 games… Canisius improved to 4-0 in extra innings this season and has now won its last four one-run games.
