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Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Joseph Preziuso
Kansas State Athletics
5
Canisius CAN 5-15
6
Winner K-State KSU 11-10
Canisius CAN
5-15
5
Final
6
K-State KSU
11-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 2 5 10 0
K-State KSU 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 X 6 8 2

W: Martin, J. (2-0) L: Kochanski, Brett (0-1) S: Stratman, A. (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball’s Late Rally Falls Just Short at Kansas State

Game Recap
The Canisius baseball team left the tying and go-ahead runs on base in the ninth inning, as Kansas State barely escaped with the 6-5 victory Wednesday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan, Kan.
 
The game moved the Golden Griffins to 5-15 on the season, while the Wildcats shift to 11-10 in 2019.
 
Cameron Thompson knocked in two RBI on two hits and Terrance Spurlin added a solo home run to lead the Wildcats, while Canisius senior Joseph Preziuso notched a career-high three hits and two runs scored.
 
Cameron Thompson drove in the first run of the game in the home-half of the first, singling home Rainer Ausmus. The next batter, Chris Ceballos, grounded out to score Will Brennan and gave K-State the early 2-0 advantage.
 
Terrance Spurlin extended the game to 3-0 in the second, leading off with a deep homer to left field.
 
After Ceballos doubled in the third, Zach Kokoska drove him in with a single to the right side for the fourth Wildcat run.
 
Canisius finally answered back in the sixth, as junior Stephen Bennett stole second with runners on the corners and an error on the throw to second brought redshirt-junior William Krull in for one run. Freshman Trevor Henneman then singled to score Bennett, cutting the Kansas State lead in half.
 
Canisius added another run in the seventh when junior Jake Burlingame picked up his MAAC-leading ninth steal of the season, and a throwing error on the play allowed Preziuso to score.
 
Kansas State gained two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Brennan scored Tommy Hughes with a sacrifice fly, while Thompson singled home Ausmus before being thrown out at second stretching out a single.
 
Canisius loaded the bases in the ninth with back-to-back singles from junior Andy Leader and Preziuso followed by a Burlingame hit-by-pitch. Junior Jacob Victor then delivered a two-RBI single off the right field wall to make it 6-5, but KSU's Andrew Stratman induced a game-ending double play to earn the save.
 
K-State's Joey Martin picked up his second win of the season by tossing 3.2 shutout innings, and Jaxon Passino followed him with two runs (one earned) over 2.1 innings. Caleb Littlejim allowed one run in an inning, Mitch Zubradt went one scoreless frame, and Dylan Phillips gave up two runs in 0.1 innings before Stratman got the final two outs.
 
Freshman Brett Kochanski made his first career start on the bump for Canisius, allowing four runs and five hits over three innings to earn the loss. Sophomore Jeff DeStefano bounced back after a rough weekend, throwing three scoreless innings and fanning five. Junior Jarod Burmaster suffered a two-run seventh inning before junior Will Frank got three-straight outs in the bottom of the eighth.
 
For Canisius offensively, Victor drove in his 10th and 11th RBI of the season, while Bennett and Henneman both recorded two hits apiece. K-State had Ausmus score two runs on a single and a walk.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"We did a good job of showing some fight after being down 4-0 to put ourselves in a position to take a lead. We had a few base-running miscues that kept us from taking a lead or at least tying it up. Jeff DeStefano and Will Frank bounced back and kept us in the game so that was good to see.
 
"Finally ending our opening stretch on the road is definitely welcoming. It will be good to play on our home field, sleep in our own beds and have the support of more of our family and friends."
 
Game Notes
• This was the second all-time meeting between Canisius and Kansas State, as the Wildcats evened the series at 1-1.
• This marked the first Wednesday game of the season for the Griffs.
• The Griffs are now 4-5 all-time against Big 12 teams.
• Canisius has recorded 10-plus hits in back-to-back games and five of the last eight.
• Senior Conner Morro's on-base streak was snapped at 28 games, ending a streak that began May 17, 2018 against Marist.
• DeStefano's five strikeouts are a career-high.
• Kochanski went a career-best three innings.
• Leader's ninth-inning single is his third hit as a pinch-hitter, leading the Griffs.
 
Up Next
Canisius returns to the Demske Sports Complex for a three-game MAAC series with Siena. The Griffs' home-opening doubleheader on Saturday, March 23, is scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. first pitch.
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