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Canisius University Athletics

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Vinny Chiarenza reaction photo at Fairfield
Peter McLean
5
Winner Canisius CAN 1-4, 1-4 MAAC
4
Iona College ION 2-3, 2-3 MAAC
Winner
Canisius CAN
1-4, 1-4 MAAC
5
Final
4
Iona College ION
2-3, 2-3 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 5 9 2
Iona College ION 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 17 3

W: Abbott, Levi (0-1) L: Smith (1-1)

8
Winner Canisius CAN 2-4, 2-4 MAAC
5
Iona College ION 2-4, 2-4 MAAC
Winner
Canisius CAN
2-4, 2-4 MAAC
8
Final
5
Iona College ION
2-4, 2-4 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Canisius CAN 4 0 0 1 0 0 3 8 9 0
Iona College ION 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 5 3 0

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

Game Recap: Baseball |

Chiarenza’s Career Day Powers Baseball to Sweep of Iona

Vinny Chiarenza hit a home run in each game of Saturday's doubleheader, allowing Canisius to sweep Iona in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play from City Park in New Rochelle, N.Y.
 
Canisius won the first game of the twinbill, 5-4, in 14 innings, before taking the nightcap, 8-5.
 
Chiarenza batted 5-for-9 (.556) over the two games, scoring four runs, driving in six and stealing a base. Four of his five hits went for extra bases (double, triple, two home runs). In the two games, Chiarenza posted an OPS of 2.192, including a slugging percentage of 1.556.
 
The Grand Island, N.Y., native established career highs at Canisius in both hits (3) and RBI (4) during the second game.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
A two-run home run by Chiarenza in the top of the 14th inning with two strikes and two outs aided Canisius to a 5-4 victory over Iona in the opening game of Saturday's doubleheader.
 
The 14-inning contest is now the longest game in program history on record.
 
Canisius starter Kyle Warner tossed five shutout innings, allowing six hits, walking a pair and striking out five. The graduate student was able to escape bases-loaded jams in the first and third innings.
 
The Griffs scored first in the third following a pair of doubles by Mike Mazzara and Mike Steffan. Mazzara would eventually score on an RBI groundout by Dylan Vincent.
 
In the following inning, a lead-off walk by Chiarenza would result in a run as an errant throw trying to catch him stealing third allowed the redshirt senior to score, giving Canisius a 2-0 lead.
 
Iona would plate a pair of runs off Canisius reliever Ryan Boyer in the bottom of the seventh, forcing extra innings. An RBI single by Jake Oliger enabled Jake Liberatore, who reached base on a fielding error, to score. The next batter, Will Jennings, roped an RBI double to right field to tie the game.
 
Kyle Kush would get hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, giving Canisius a 3-2 lead. Iona would counter with a Thomas Hojnacki RBI ground-rule double, extending the game even further.
 
Levi Abbott would be summoned from the bullpen, keeping the Griffs in the game after stranding runners at the corners in the 11th and 12th innings. In the top half of the 12th, Canisius had a chance to take the lead but left the bases loaded. 
 
In the top half of the 14th, Max Felsenstein hit a two-out single to prolong the Griffs' inning. Chiarenza would come up and club his two-run opposite field home run, giving Canisius the lead.
 
Iona would give the Griffs a scare in the bottom half of the inning. The first two batters of the frame were retired in order before the next three Iona batters would reach base, including one who would bring home a run trimming the Griffs' lead to 5-4. Abbott would strike out the last batter to preserve the win.
 
Abbott earned his first collegiate win for the Griffs, tossing five innings of relief, allowing an unearned run on three hits, walking a pair and striking out four.
 
Iona's Brendan Smith lasted 6.1 innings in relief, giving up six hits, three runs (two earned), walking two and striking out a game-high nine batters.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
Canisius would use a three-run seventh inning, highlighted by a two-run home run by Chiarenza, to give the Griffs an 8-5 victory and the doubleheader sweep of Iona.
 
The Griffs would use a four-run first inning to take an early lead. Chiarenza helped plate the first two runs of the game, hitting a two-run triple down the left field line that scored Carlin Dick and Jacob Victor. The following batter, Dylan Vincent, brought Chiarenza home with an RBI single while Mike DeStefano would single home Vincent for the final run of the frame after Vincent stole second and third base.
 
Canisius starter Andrew Fron would throw a pair of wild pitches in the second inning to allow Iona to cut into the Griffs' lead, 4-1.
 
Fron would pitch three-plus innings, allowing two hits, four runs, walking five and striking out four. He pitched to four batters in the fourth inning before being replaced by Tom Peltier.
 
Kenny Dodson hit his first collegiate extra-base hit in the fourth inning before scoring on a Mike Steffan single to extend the Canisius lead to 5-1.
 
Iona countered with four unanswered runs over the next two innings, three of which coming from RBI fielder's choices, to tie the game at 5-5.
 
In the seventh, Steffan and Dick would draw back-to-back walks before being replaced for pinch-runners. Victor would capitalize on an Iona passed ball, driving home Brennan Chisholm on a sacrifice fly to give Canisius the lead again, 6-5.
 
Following an Iona pitching change, Chiarenza would extend the lead further, hitting his second home run of the day to give the Griffs an 8-5 lead.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Today was a dog fight. Nobody wanted to give in in game one. Baseball is a game of bounces and we had some bounces go our way to come out with two wins today. What a wild day."
 
"As the games went on, we talked about toughness and needing guys to step up. We got a good start from Kyle Warner and then Levi Abbott picked us up huge on the mound. Offensively, Vinny Chiarenza really picked us up." 
 
"Vinny played well for us today and really came into his own. He has shown consistent progress and has been able to make adjustments at-bat to at-bat. He was big for us today."
 
"Overall, on the mound, we performed much better. We need to continue to develop our confidence and trust in ourselves and one another out there. We did what we needed to do today to come out with two wins.
 
GAME NOTES
• With Saturday's sweep, the Griffs have now won five straight games against Iona and 32 of their last 36 against the Gaels. Canisius has won their last 19 contests in New Rochelle.
• Chiarenza recorded multiple RBI in both games of Saturday's doubleheader. They were the first such games for the Griffs this season.
• Warner, in two career appearances against Iona, has thrown six shutout innings and struck out seven.
• Felsenstein's two-hit game in the opener was his first career multi-hit game with the Griffs and his 34th career game with at least two base knocks dating back to his time at Drew, a Division III school.
• Dick and Dodson each made their first collegiate starts in the nightcap.
• As a team, the Griffs stole five bases in the second game — all of which came in the first inning — marking the first time Canisius swiped five-plus bases in a game since March 1, 2020, when the Griffs also stole five in a 13-inning victory at Marshall.
• Chisholm made his Canisius debut in the second game, pinch-running for Steffan in the seventh inning and scoring on Victor's sacrifice fly.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Iona conclude their four-game series tomorrow with another doubleheader. The first pitch for game one is scheduled for noon. 
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
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