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Canisius University Athletics

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Will Frank pitches against West Virginia on Feb. 18, 2020 at Monongalia County Ballpark in Morgantown, W.Va.
Marshal Filipowicz
11
Winner Canisius CAN 3-8
9
MARSHALL MARSH 1-8
Winner
Canisius CAN
3-8
11
Final
9
MARSHALL MARSH
1-8
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 2 1 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 11 16 2
MARSHALL MARSH 1 0 4 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 9 16 2

W: Yankowski, David (1-0) L: Guerrero (0-1)

2
Canisius CAN 0
2
MARSHALL MARSH 0
Canisius CAN
0
2
Final
2
MARSHALL MARSH
0
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1
MARSHALL MARSH 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 7 1

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Uses a Win and Tie to Take Series from Marshall

With darkness robbing the Blue and Gold of a series sweep, the Canisius baseball team earned a 11-9 win and a 2-2 tie against Marshall Sunday afternoon at Kennedy Center YMCA Field in Huntington, W.Va.
 
The Golden Griffins used two runs in the 13th inning of game one to secure the series win, but a late run by the Thundering Herd in the final inning of the nightcap ended up handing the Blue and Gold their first tie since the 2003 season.
 
With the results of the doubleheader, the Griffs improved to 3-8-1 on the season, while Marshall fell to a 1-8-1 record in 2020.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Powering Canisius in the opening game of the day were junior Jake Zurat and sophomore Dylan Vincent, as both Griffs registered three-hit performances. Zurat used a double and a home run in his season debut to tally three RBI, while Vincent recorded three singles to score three times for Canisius. On the losing end, Zach Inskeep accounted for four hits and Jaren Lovely raked in five RBI for the Thundering Herd.
 
Marshall struck first, as the Herd got a run in the first inning off a Luke Edwards double, but could not add to its lead as it stranded two runners in scoring position.
 
Canisius got on the board in the second inning, as Zurat knocked in two runs with a double in his first at-bat of the season. The Griffs added another run in the third when redshirt-sophomore Mike Steffan hit a sacrifice fly that brought home Vincent to make it 3-1.
 
Lovely flipped the score in the bottom of the third, as his three-run homer and a double from Sam Linscott later in the frame made it 5-3 in favor of Marshall.
 
Zurat gave the Griffs a home run of their own in the fourth, as the catcher's solo shot pulled the game to 5-4. Senior Jacob Victor then doubled home Vincent to even the score, while redshirt-junior Gibson Krzeminski singled to plate Victor and regain the lead for Canisius, 6-5.
 
The Thundering Herd brought the game even again in the fifth, as a leadoff single and three-straight two-out walks scored Inskeep.
 
Krzeminski put the Blue and Gold ahead in the sixth with another single, as Vincent came across to make it 7-6 Canisius. The seventh inning brought two more runs for Canisius, as a fielder's choice from sophomore Kyle Kush and a Marshall throwing error scored senior Jake Burlingame, while a wild pitch later in the frame allowed Kush to cross home plate and extend the Griffs' advantage to 9-6.
 
Marshall cut into the deficit once again in the eighth, as Lovely singled to bring home two runs to make it 9-8. Then, in the ninth inning, Edwards doubled in Geordon Blanton to tie it at 9-9 and send the game to extra innings.
 
Both teams threatened through the first three extra frames, but Canisius was the side to capitalize first, as a Marshall error got Victor aboard to start the 13th inning. Senior Stephen Bennett made the Herd pay two batters later, as the third baseman connected on a triple that scored Victor, while a single by redshirt-junior Vinny Chiarenza immediately scored Bennett for an insurance run. The two-run cushion would be all sophomore David Yankowski needed to close the door for the Griffs' second win of the weekend.
 
Canisius sophomore Andrew Fron got the start, going four-plus innings and allowing six runs while striking out seven. Freshman Tom Peltier followed Fron by going 3.1 innings, surrendering one run and fanning three Herd batters. Senior Jarod Burmaster ended up being on the hook for one run off of three hits, while junior Joe Barberio allowed one run through 3.2 innings. Getting the win was Yankowski, as the righty pitched two shutout innings and punched out two Marshall hitters.
 
Brady Choban lasted 3.2 innings in his start for the Herd, giving up six runs on six hits. Trey Alderman then allowed a run in his two frames of work, while Bryan Callaly surrendered a pair of unearned runs in 0.2 innings. D'Andre Knight held Canisius to one hit across his 2.2 innings, and Michael Guerrero was handed the loss after allowing two runs (one earned) over four innings of relief.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
The star of the seven-inning nightcap was Canisius senior Will Frank, who scattered two runs over 6.1 innings while punching out five Marshall batters along the way.
 
Edwards got the Herd on the board first once again, as his groundout in the first inning brought home Blanton to give Marshall the 1-0 edge.
 
Canisius answered back in the second, as the Griffs loaded the bases for freshman Mike DeStefano, who put a ball in play that led to a Marshall error, scoring Krzeminski. A walk to the next batter, redshirt-sophomore Mike Mazzara, brought in Steffan to give Canisius the 2-1 lead.
 
Marshall got the equalizer in the bottom of the seventh, as Jordon Billups singled to start the frame. Zach Gardiner then singled on a comebacker that hit Frank on the mound. With Frank exiting the game, Blanton later singled to score Billups to even the score and presumably send the game to extra innings.
 
Canisius thought it had taken the lead in the top of the eighth when DeStefano singled home Krzeminski. A diving stop by Bennett to begin the bottom of the eighth gave the Griffs one out, but the umpires then convened and called the game due to darkness, with the game reverting back to the conclusion of the seventh inning and ending in a 2-2 tie.
 
Frank's premature exit still resulted in a quality start, limiting Marshall to one earned run on six hits and two walks. Burlingame finished with two strikeouts and one hit in his 0.2 innings of relief.
 
For the Herd, Jeffrey Purnell went 1.2 innings in his start, giving up two runs (one earned) while recording two strikeouts. Cody Sharp posted 4.1 scoreless innings of relief, fanning six Griffs before giving way to Nick Jodway, who struck out one in one inning of work.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Winning the series was big for us. We have been in a lot of close games this year already and to find a way to bounce back and pick up a win on the road in extra innings is a character-building opportunity for the team. It will definitely help us moving forward.
 
"Although the nightcap had an unfortunate ending, we had a lot of opportunities this weekend to learn and grow as a group. We made positive strides forward in all facets and need to continue to clean things up to become stronger with tougher opponents ahead."
 
Game Notes
• The all-time series between the two teams moves to 3-3-1.
• Sunday's nightcap was originally slated to be a nine-inning contest, but was changed to a seven-inning game due to the length of the first game.
• Fron's seven strikeouts in Sunday's opener matched his previous career high from Feb. 15 against UMass Lowell.
• Zurat's three hits and three RBI in the first game are both career highs for the backstop.
• Vincent's three hits and three runs scored in the opener matched his career highs for both categories, previously recording three hits and three runs on April 9, 2019 against Kent State.
• The last time Canisius went 13-or-more innings was a 13-inning win on Feb. 29, 2018, as the Griffs took home a 12-11 victory over Western Carolina.
• The last Canisius tie was on April 16, 2003, when the Griffs finished in a 3-3 score at St. Bonaventure due to darkness in the second game of a doubleheader.
• Canisius starters have now combined for six quality starts through 12 games this season.
• Frank has now recorded six-plus innings and five-plus strikeouts in back-to-back starts.
 
Up Next
Canisius travels to Radford, Va., next weekend for a three-game slate with Big South opponent Radford. First pitch for Friday's series opener is 4 p.m.
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