Canisius starter Ryan Boyer tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout in the opening game of the Golden Griffins' doubleheader split with Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) foe Rider Sunday at the Demske Sports Complex.

Jake Burlingame drove home a team-high three runs in the Griffs' 8-0 victory over the Broncs in the opening game. Jacob Martins also drove home a pair for the Blue and Gold.

For the day, Martins led Canisius at the dish, going 4-for-6 with a double and the two RBI. Vinny Chiarenza and Mike DeStefano each went 3-for-8, while DeStefano hit a double and drove home a run.

A pinch-hit RBI groundout in the eighth inning allowed Rider to take a 4-3 lead, and the Broncs staved off Canisius' comeback attempt in the ninth inning, to ensure the split of Sunday's pair of games.

Pitching was a strong suit for the Griffs, as the staff combined for a 2.25 ERA on the day. Rider was limited to a .196 batting average over the pair of games.

The Griffs were also flawless in the field in both games, not having an error to their credit in either contest.

GAME ONE RECAP
Offense helped give Ryan Boyer the run support he needed, as the graduate student tossed a complete game, two-hit shutout in an 8-0 victory over the Broncs in the opening game of Sunday's twinbill.

Boyer struck out nine batters and walked just one in his first complete game as a member of the Canisius program. It is his 13th collegiate complete game and his sixth shutout, dating back to his five seasons with Pitt-Bradford.

Graduate student Jake Burlingame led the Griffs' offense by going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and driving home three runs in the victory. Jacob Martins also drove home a pair of runs, one on an RBI single in a three-run fourth inning and another on a sacrifice fly in the Griffs' four-run fifth inning.

Vinny Chiarenza, Gibson Krzeminski and Burlingame each scored twice for the Blue and Gold.

Pete Soporowski started on the mound for Rider, going 4.2 innings, allowing all eight runs (six earned) on seven hits. He walked three and struck out six.

GAME TWO RECAP
Socrates Bardatsos' pinch-hit RBI groundout in the eighth inning put Rider ahead, allowing the Broncs to earn a 4-3 victory in the nightcap of Sunday's doubleheader.

Martins went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate for Canisius in the game, while Mike DeStefano and Chiarenza each had multiple hits for the Blue and Gold in the loss. 

Rider opened the scoring in the second inning with an RBI-single by Brendan O'Donnell. Canisius countered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning as Mike Mazzara hit into a sacrifice fly that scored Burlingame. DeStefano followed up the sacrifice fly with an RBI ground-rule double that plated Martins.

Scoring would then be few and far between until the seventh inning when the Broncs tied the game up, 2-2, on an RBI fielder's choice. Mike Steffan, who was appearing in his first games in nearly a month (March 28 at Iona), gave the Griffs the lead back in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI-single that scored Brennan Chisholm. 

The following half-inning, Bardatsos grounded out, allowing John Volpe to score from third to give Rider a 4-3 lead. 

Canisius had its comeback attempt stymied by Rider closer Cal Stalzer. DeStefano led the inning off with a single up the middle. Back-to-back groundouts led to DeStefano to third base with two outs before Jacob Victor drew a walk. Chiarenza came up to the plate hoping to extend the game further but struck out swinging to end the game.

Andrew Fron started for the Griffs on the mound, pitching into the seventh inning before being relieved. He pitched six innings, allowed three runs on eight hits, walked a pair and struck out four.

Joe Barberio was the pitcher of record for Canisius, pitching two innings of relief, allowing a hit and a run while also walking two. 

Danny Kirwin earned the win for the Broncs as he struck out six Griffs batters in three innings of work. He allowed an unearned run on two hits in his outing.

Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Today was a bittersweet split. We played great baseball in all facets in game one. Then in game two, we just did not step up to a get a big hit with runners in scoring position. We pitched well enough to win two games today, we just did not hit well enough in game two to win two games. Tomorrow is a new day, we need to learn from today and come out ready to go tomorrow!"

"[Ryan] Boyer was great today and continues to show his growth at our level each week. Moving him into the rotation has proven to be a good move and with how smart Ryan is and how hard he works the success is no surprise."

GAME NOTES
• Boyer's complete game shutout is the Griffs' second of the season, joining Will Frank who did so at Iona on March 28. It is the first time Canisius has had multiple complete game shutouts in a single season since 2017.
• Burlingame's three RBI tied his career high, previously set against UMass Lowell last season.
• Burlingame and Chiarenza each extended their on-base streaks to 11 games after both reached base in both games Sunday.
• Martins' two-RBI game in the opener tied his career high, initially established against Bowling Green on March 3, 2018.
• Canisius has been stellar on the mound in April, logging a 7-3 record with a 2.80 ERA, going along with a WHIP of 1.04. The Griffs have limited their opponents to hit just .210 off them this month.
• Under head coach Matt Mazurek, Canisius has outscored its opponents in the fourth inning by 57 runs, 131-74. This year, the Griffs have scored 21 runs in the fourth inning while allowing just 10.

UP NEXT
Rider and Canisius will play the remaining two games of their four-game series on Monday from the Demske Sports Complex. The first game is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m.

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