Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Joseph Preziuso
Marshal Filipowicz
2
Winner Canisius CAN 4-8
1
Dayton DAYTON 2-8-1
Winner
Canisius CAN
4-8
2
Final
1
Dayton DAYTON
2-8-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 9 0
Dayton DAYTON 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 6 3

W: Kneussle, Andrew (2-1) L: ERNST (0-3) S: Frank, Will (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Preziuso’s Homer, Solid Pitching Lead Baseball to Win at Dayton

Game Recap
Scoring both of its runs off a Joseph Preziuso home run in the sixth inning, the Canisius baseball team pitched itself to a 2-1 win over Dayton Saturday morning at Woerner Field at DP&L Stadium in Dayton, Ohio.
 
Canisius improved to 4-8 on the season with the win, while the Flyers fell to 2-8-1 in 2019.
 
Senior Conner Morro and redshirt freshman Mike Steffan both tallied two hits for the Griffs, while Mitchell Garrity led UD with two hits and one run scored. Three Canisius pitchers combined to allow only six hits while striking out 15 as the staff did not issue a single walk to the Flyers.
 
While the Griffs loaded the bases in both the first and second innings, neither team was able to plate a run until the sixth. Preziuso changed that with one swing, making the Flyers pay for a dropped third strike to redshirt freshman Cole Hollins that gave Canisius a runner with two gone, as the senior second baseman drilled a pitch over the left field wall to make it 2-0.
 
Dayton would not go quietly, as Garrity and Jay Curtis hit back-to-back doubles in the eighth, allowing Garrity to cut the Griffs' lead to 2-1.
 
The Flyers would not get a chance rally any further, as Canisius junior Will Frank entered in the bottom of the ninth and got all three batters he faced to strike out swinging, giving the closer his second save of the season and the Griffs their fourth win on 2019.
 
Senior southpaw Nolan Hunt opened on the bump for Canisius, pitching three shutout innings and punching out four Flyers before giving way to senior Andrew Kneussle in the fourth. Kneussle followed with five frames of one-run ball, striking out eight Dayton batters and earning his second win of the 2019 campaign.
 
Aaron Ernst suffered the loss, giving up two unearned runs and seven hits over six innings, while Tyler Jones tallied two hits against and four strikeouts in three innings of work.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"The guys on the mound today were lights out. They were able to command the strike zone early and that led to their success. Nolan, Kneussle and Frank all pitched great today.
 
"During the early part of the year, hitting with runners in scoring position can make a team or break a team. We have struggled a bit at that early on and we need to be smarter in the box with our approach and alleviate self-induced pressure. The game is hard enough. In a majority of those situations we have made it harder than it should be."
 
Game Notes
• Saturday's game was the 10th all-time meeting between Canisius and Dayton, with the Flyers now leading the series by a 7-3 margin.
• Hunt made his first start of the 2019 season on Saturday, and his first start overall since March 13, 2017 at Virginia Tech.
• Morro's first-inning single extended his on-base streak to 21 games, continuing a streak that began May 17, 2018 against Marist.
• Preziuso's home run is his first of 2019 and the second of his career, previously homering at Rider on April 28, 2018.
• Saturday is the first time the Griffs have limited an opponent to one-or-less runs since a 11-0 win over Monmouth in the 2018 MAAC Championship game on May 26, 2018.
• Kneussle's eight strikeouts set a career high, surpassing his previous personal best of six strikeouts against Marist on May 18, 2018.
• Saturday's multi-hit games for Morro and Steffan were the third of the season for both players.
• Frank's save is the sixth of his career, moving him into a three-way tie with Alex Winiewicz and current assistant coach Brandon Bielecki for seventh in program history.
 
Up Next
Canisius finishes its weekend in Dayton, Ohio with a doubleheader at Dayton on Sunday. First pitch for game one is set for 11 a.m., while game two will take place 30 minutes after.
Print Friendly Version