Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Jacob Victor doubles against West Virginia on Feb. 18, 2020 in Morgantown, W.Va.
Marshal Filipowicz
4
Canisius CAN 0-1, 0-1 MAAC
7
Winner Fairfield FFD 1-0, 1-0 MAAC
Canisius CAN
0-1, 0-1 MAAC
4
Final
7
Fairfield FFD
1-0, 1-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 4 6 2
Fairfield FFD 1 3 0 3 0 0 X 7 10 2

W: McLoughlin, Trey (1-0) L: Warner, Kyle (0-1) S: Grabek, Nick (1)

4
Canisius CAN 0-2, 0-2 MAAC
13
Winner Fairfield FFD 2-0, 2-0 MAAC
Canisius CAN
0-2, 0-2 MAAC
4
Final
13
Fairfield FFD
2-0, 2-0 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 4 10 3
Fairfield FFD 3 1 3 0 0 3 0 3 X 13 12 1

W: Sansone (1-0) L: Barberio, Joe (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Griffs Swept by Fairfield in Season-Opening Doubleheader

The Canisius baseball team opened its 2021 campaign Saturday with a pair of losses against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe Fairfield at Alumni Diamond in Fairfield, Conn.
 
Saturday marked the first time the Griffs played a regular-season game in a program-record 377 days.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
A pair of three-run innings helped Fairfield take the first game of the doubleheader, 7-4.
 
The Stags opened the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single by Sean Cullen before the Griffs would plate three runs in the second inning.
 
Graduate student Jacob Victor would lead off the inning for the Griffs with a double before advancing to third on a passed ball and then scoring on a balk. Redshirt senior Vinny Chiarenza would score on a throwing error in an attempt to catch him stealing third base. Redshirt junior Mike Mazzara would chip in with an RBI single that scored sophomore Mike DeStefano.
 
Fairfield would counter the Griffs' three-run second inning with a three-run inning of their own. They would get RBI doubles from Mike Becchetti and Mike Handal and an RBI single from Mike Caruso to retake the lead, 4-3.
 
Chiarenza would tie the game, 4-4, in the fourth inning with a leadoff opposite-field home run before Fairfield would plate three more runs in the bottom half of the inning. Two of the Stags' runs would come off sacrifice flies, while the other was from a throwing error on an attempted steal.
 
Graduate student Kyle Warner started for the Griffs, tossing 3.2 innings, allowing seven hits, seven runs (five earned) and striking out four. Junior Brett Kochanski and sophomore Tom Peltier combined to throw 2.1 scoreless innings of relief. Kochanski got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning, while Peltier did not allow a runner to cross home plate after having runners at 2nd and 3rd base with no outs.
 
Trey McLaughlin started for the Stags, going six innings, allowing six hits, four runs (three earned) and striking out 11. McLaughlin is the first pitcher to strike out at least 10 Canisius batters since he fanned 14 in a three-hit complete game shutout that eliminated the Griffs from the 2019 MAAC Tournament.
 
Nick Grabek earned the save for the Stags, setting the Griffs down in order in the seventh inning.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Fairfield's Justin Guerrera hit three of the Stags' six home runs in the nightcap, lifting the Stags to a 13-4 victory.
 
Guerrera would finish the game 3-for-5, with three home runs and driving in six runs. Handal, Becchetti and Dan Ryan were the others to hit round-trippers for Fairfield.
 
Guerrera would hit the first of his three homers in the first inning — a three-run blast — giving the Stags an early 3-0 lead. DeStefano would hit an RBI single in the following half-inning that would plate Victor.
 
Fairfield would then score four unanswered runs — one in the second inning and three in the third. The Stags would score on a throwing error after a bunt single before Guerrera's second home run and a two-run big fly by Becchetti would up the home team's lead to 7-1.
 
Canisius would cut the Stags lead to 7-3 after getting RBI groundouts by senior Jacob Martins and Victor in the fourth and fifth innings.
 
Fairfield would add two home runs in the sixth, upping their lead to 10-3. Handal would be the first to go yard for the Stags, hitting a solo shot. Guerrera would hit his third homer of the game, sending a no-doubter to left field.
 
Handal would drive home a run on a sacrifice fly before a two-run home run by Ryan in the eighth inning gave the Stags a 13-3 lead.
 
In the ninth inning for the Griffs, Jake Burlingame would add an RBI single, scoring senior Jake Zurat.
 
Senior Joe Barberio started for the Griffs, throwing 2.2 innings, allowing nine hits, seven runs (six earned), walking one and striking out two. Barberio consistently found the strike zone during his outing, throwing 52 of his 69 pitches for strikes.
 
Junior David Yankowski would strike out the only batter he would face before handing the ball to graduate student Ryan Boyer. In his Canisius debut, Boyer threw 4.1 innings, allowing three hits — all of which were home runs, six runs (five earned), walking one and striking out three. Sophomore Aaron Snyder closed out the game for Canisius, inducing a pair of groundouts while walking a batter.
 
Mike Sansone, Fairfield's starter, threw seven innings, allowing six hits, three runs and striking out four Canisius batters en route to earning the victory.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Overall Fairfield played better than us today. There were a few little things we didn't take care of in game one, like playing catch and hitting our cut-off which lead to runs that worked against us. We had some positive things defensively and in the middle of the order and put together more competitive at-bats in the second game. Our bullpen for the most part did a good job as well."

"Our offense was okay today. We hit a lot at 'em balls and they made some nice defensive plays. We know we need to be committed a little bit more and take advantage of opportunities."

"Tomorrow we need to show up ready to go and have a little more fire to us. We know what we are capable of and we still have to prove that. It will not be given to us."
 
GAME NOTES
• Saturday's doubleheader was the 68th and 69th meetings between the two Jesuit schools. Fairfield now leads the series, 37-32, and has won four of the last five games. 
• Chiarenza's home run in the opening game was his first career round-tripper with the Blue & Gold. He also registered multiple hits in each contest, both of which were his first multi-hit performances with Canisius.
• Victor recorded multiple hits in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, his 17th and 18th multi-hit games with Canisius.
• DeStefano recorded hits in both games, extending his hit streak to a career-long four games.
• Graduate students Max Felsenstein and Boyer each made their debuts with the Griffs in the second game of the twin-bill. Felsenstein went 0-for-2 with a pair of flyouts.
• Freshmen Max Grant and Carlin Dick both appeared in their first collegiate games in the nightcap. Grant had two plate appearances after coming off the bench in the seventh inning. Dick served as a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Fairfield will conclude their four-game series tomorrow with an additional pair of doubleheaders. The first pitch of the opener will be at 11:30 a.m.

For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.

Print Friendly Version