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Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Andrew Sipowicz
Dave Schofield '71
2
Canisius CAN 0-1
5
Winner N.C. Central NCCUBB 1-0
Canisius CAN
0-1
2
Final
5
N.C. Central NCCUBB
1-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 8 1
N.C. Central NCCUBB 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 X 5 6 0

W: DECKER,Ryan (1-0) L: Kennedy, Jared (0-1) S: VERNON,Austin (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

N.C. Central Rallies Past Baseball in Season Opener

Recap:
The Canisius baseball team opened the 2019 season with a loss as North Carolina Central rallied in the seventh for a 5-2 win over the Golden Griffins Friday afternoon at Durham Athletic Park in Durham, N.C. 
 
Senior right-hander Andrew Sipowicz got the start on the mound for Canisius and dealt 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball, striking out four while limiting the Eagles to just four baserunners on three singles and a walk. Senior shortstop Conner Morro and junior third basemen Stephen Bennett led the Griffs offensively, as Morro's 3-for-5 day was highlighted by scoring the game's first run and adding a triple, while Bennett hit his first home run of the season.
 
The Griffs got going early, putting runners on first and second in back-to-back innings before junior catcher William Krull finally pushed Morro across home plate in the third. After Canisius stranded two runners again in the fourth, Bennett blasted a 2-1 pitch over the fence in the fifth, a solo shot off Chris Kernen, that gave the Blue and Gold a two-run cushion.
 
The Eagles, after being quiet at the plate through five innings, got a runner in scoring position in the sixth after a Timmy Fischvogt single and Nick Fajardo walk. Senior southpaw Jared Kennedy then entered the game for Sipowicz with two gone and was able to pitch out of danger.
 
Canisius looked to be on the verge of another run in the top of the seventh after Morro tripled to lead off, but Eagles reliever Ryan Decker sat down the next three batters to strand Morro. NCCU took advantage of Canisius' missed opportunity in the bottom half of the inning, as the sequence of a Trey Maslin single, a Krull passed ball, a Josh Brammell walk, a Kennedy throwing error, a Kennedy wild pitch and a Myles Coston double evened the score at 2-2. Despite bringing in junior closer Will Frank for Kennedy, the Griffs surrendered the lead as a wild pitch and passed ball with Fischvogt batting allowed Coston to score the go-ahead run.
 
Corey Joyce, the 2019 MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, kept the Eagles going in the next inning, stealing second after leading off with a hit-by-pitch, and Carter Williams took a pitch deep to extend the Eagles lead by two.
 
The Griffs could not take back the lead, as NCCU's Austin Vernon came on at the start of the eighth and shut the Canisius hitters down in order (five strikeouts) to earn the save and give Decker the victory.
 
Kennedy suffered the loss, allowing three runs (one earned) over 0.2 innings, while Frank surrendered two earned runs in 1.1 innings of work. Kernen, the Eagles starter, finished with six strikeouts in six innings, allowing seven Canisius hits and three walks.
 
Canisius senior second baseman Joseph Preziuso and junior centerfielder Jake Burlingame both collected singles in the losing effort. Carter Williams finished the day with two hits, including the home run, to lead the NCCU offense.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments:
"Sipowicz pitched great. He did what we expected him to do and he put us in a position to win the game. Steffan had a good game at the plate, showing a good approach with a lot of composure for his first collegiate game. Tomorrow we need to go out and correct the mistakes from today and execute better both at the plate and on the mound."
 
Game Notes:
• Redshirt freshmen Cole Hollins and Mike Steffan both made their collegiate debuts on Friday as both players were in the starting lineup for Canisius. Steffan raked a second-inning single to collect his first hit as a Griff and drew two walks.
• Freshman David Yankowski also debuted for Canisius, as the right-hander recorded the last out of the eighth when sophomore Jake Zurat threw out Brammell at second.
• Morro extended his hit streak to seven games, as the shortstop tallied a triple and a pair of singles to maintain his streak that dates back to May 24, 2018 against Niagara.
• Morro's three hits also matched his career-high, with his last three-hit performance coming at home against St. Bonaventure on May 4, 2018.
• Bennett's homer was the second of his career, and his first since May 13, 2017.
• The last time Sipowicz pitched 5.0 or more shutout innings was April 15, 2018, throwing a one-hitter over six innings in an 11-0 shutout of Iona.
• This is the second-straight year the Griffs have dropped the season opener, falling to Ohio State in their 2018 opener by a 6-4 score. The last Opening Day win for Canisius was a 10-7 victory at Gardner-Webb.
 
Next Game:
Canisius and N.C. Central will play game two of their three-game series tomorrow, with first pitch set for 3 p.m. from Durham Athletic Park. 
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