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Canisius University Athletics

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Kyle Warner delivers a pitch against UMass Lowell on Feb. 15, 2020 at Ting Park in Holly Spring, N.C.
Jenna Hiscock
6
Winner Canisius CAN 4-5, 4-5 MAAC
3
Niagara NIA 8-5, 8-5 MAAC
Winner
Canisius CAN
4-5, 4-5 MAAC
6
Final
3
Niagara NIA
8-5, 8-5 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Canisius CAN 4 0 0 0 1 1 0 6 8 1
Niagara NIA 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 7 3

W: Warner, Kyle (1-1) L: Bednarski, Tommy (0-2)

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

W: Cameron, Zach (1-1) L: Abbott, Levi (1-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Splits Midweek Twin Bill with Niagara

Canisius and Niagara split their midweek Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at a sun-soaked Bobo Field in Lewiston, N.Y.
 
Behind four extra-base hits, Canisius (4-6, 4-6 MAAC) was able to take the opening game, 6-3. Niagara (9-5, 9-5 MAAC) would get a two-out, two-strike single in the bottom of the eighth inning, which plated the go-ahead run, to take the nightcap by a 4-3 margin.
 
Redshirt senior Vinny Chiarenza posted a .571 batting average in the pair of games, going 4-for-7, while hitting a two-run home run in the second game. Overall, as a team, eight of the 17 hits on the day for the Griffs were for extra-bases.
 
GAME ONE RECAP
Freshmen Max Grant and Carlin Dick combined for three of Canisius' four extra-base hits and graduate student Kyle Warner went the distance for the Griffs in a 6-3 victory over Niagara in the opening game of Wednesday's doubleheader.
 
Dick posted a pair of doubles in the second and sixth innings, respectively, while Grant hit a triple in the fifth inning.

Warner allowed seven hits and three runs as the southpaw fanned five. He walked just one batter in his first career complete game.
 
Canisius opened the scoring early, plating four runs in the top half of the first inning. Grant inside-outed a pitch that resulted in three runs scoring on a fielding error by Niagara's left fielder that gave Canisius a 3-0 lead. Mike DeStefano, the following batter, would bring home Grant with an RBI triple.
 
Niagara would score the game's next three runs, two from a Benny Serrano home run in the first inning and a solo blast by the Purple Eagles' all-time home run leader, Peter Battaglia, in the third inning.
 
Canisius plated solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to extend its lead further. Grant would hit a two-out triple before scoring off an errant throw on a pickoff attempt by Niagara's catcher in the fifth inning. In the sixth, sophomore Kenny Dodson would score on an RBI double by Dick.
 
Warner found his groove as the game progressed, retiring 14 of the last 16 batters he faced, including 11 in a row.
 
Along with Dick and Grant, Vinny Chiarenza also had a multi-hit performance for the Blue and Gold in the opening game.
 
GAME TWO RECAP
A two-strike, two-out RBI single by Liam Ward in the bottom of the eighth inning propelled Niagara to a 4-3 victory over Canisius, earning the split of Wednesday's twin bill.
 
The Purple Eagles' Zach Cameron tossed five shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits, walking one and striking out six to earn the victory.
 
Levi Abbott was the pitcher of record for the Griffs, pitching 4.2 innings, allowing four hits, two runs, walking a pair and striking out four.
 
The first run of the game came in the second inning off an RBI double by Max Grant, who picked up where he left off from the first game. Vinny Chiarenza scored the run off Grant's hit.
 
Niagara tied the game up as Dawson Bailey led off the third inning with a solo home run to left field before taking the lead later in the frame on an RBI single by Cole Tucker.
 
Chiarenza drove an opposite-field, two-run home run to give Canisius the 3-2 lead in the next half-inning. Chiarenza's home run was his fourth of the campaign.
 
A bases-loaded walk in the fifth inning tied the game up before Ward's RBI single in the eighth inning gave the Purple Eagles the lead for good.
 
Chiarenza and Jacob Victor recorded multi-hit performances for the Griffs in the loss.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Today, we played well enough to win one game. We gave them too many chances in game two by not taking care of the baseball. We preach taking care of the little things daily and defensively, in game two, we did not. Offensively, we also went quiet and did not create enough to win.

"In game one, we came out and did a good job applying pressure and executing at the plate. Warner settled in for us and was lights out on the mound once he got past the first inning. To have a senior pave the way like that, it becomes contagious amongst our staff.

"Max Grant did a great job stepping up and handling himself with composure and confidence, both at the plate and behind it. It's nothing short of what
we know he can do for us."
 
GAME NOTES
• Warner's complete game is the Griffs' second time not needing the bullpen this season, marking the first time since 2017 that Canisius has recorded multiple complete games.
• The pair of triples in the opening game was the first time the Blue and Gold recorded multiple triples in a game since recording a pair in a 7-5 victory over Saint Peter's on April 19, 2019.
• With his pair of doubles in the first game, Dick became the first Griff with multiple doubles in a game since Mark McKenna in the MAAC Tournament against Fairfield on May 25, 2019.
• Before being held hitless in the second game, Dick extended his hit streak to a team-best five games.
• Chiarenza now has six multi-hit games on the season with his back-to-back two-hit games on Wednesday.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will have its first home games of the season this wekeend as the Griffs host Manhattan for a four-game MAAC series. The first game of Saturday and Sunday's doubleheaders is scheduled for noon.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
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