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Canisius University Athletics

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Mike Mazzara smiles heading to his dugout
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7
Marist MAR 18-11
10
Winner Canisius CAN 19-14
Marist MAR
18-11
7
Final
10
Canisius CAN
19-14
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Marist MAR 2 1 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 7 14 0
Canisius CAN 0 0 5 0 0 1 3 1 X 10 13 0

W: Burmaster, Jarod (1-0) L: Cantone, Nick (3-1) S: Boyer, Ryan (1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Defeats Marist, Advances to MAAC Championship Round

Mike Mazzara went 4-for-4 with five RBI as he helped Canisius to a 10-7 victory over Marist in the final game of their best-of-three quarterfinal round series in the 2021 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Championship Friday afternoon at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
The fourth-seeded Golden Griffins (19-14, 17-13 MAAC) advanced to the tournament's championship round, which will be held at top-seeded Fairfield, May 26-29. 
 
Marist opened the scoring with a pair of solo home runs by Tyler Kapuscinski and Brian Hart in the first inning off Canisius starter Will Frank.
 
The Red Foxes added another run in the following inning, extending their lead to 3-0 on a sacrifice fly by Niko Amory.
 
Canisius battled back, taking its first lead of the game in the bottom of the third behind a five-run inning, capped by a grand slam from Mazzara. The home run was Mazzara's first collegiate blast.
 
Marist regained the lead, 6-5, in the sixth with a three-run inning. Kapuscinski hit an RBI single before Hart hit a two-run double down the right field line.
 
The Griffs once again had an answer, however, as Carlin Dick singled home Mazzara to tie the game at 6-6 in the home half of the sixth.
 
Jarod Burmaster, the third of five Canisius relievers utilized in the game, escaped a jam in the seventh as he was able to get a Marist runner out at the plate on a safety squeeze attempt. He then stranded a pair of runners to close out the inning, thwarting Marist's attempt to take the lead.
 
Canisius plated three runs in the seventh to take a 9-6 lead. Mazzara and Kyle Kush each recorded RBI singles in the inning before Jacob Victor capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
 
Matt Rubayo singled home a run for Marist in the eighth inning, cutting the Griffs lead to 9-7. CJ Tucker came in from the bullpen for the Griffs with two runners on and two outs but was able to get Colin Mackle to strikeout to stave off a Red Foxes rally attempt.
 
Kush restored Canisius' three-run lead, driving home a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom half of the eighth.
 
Burmaster earned the victory for Canisius, while Ryan Boyer earned his first collegiate save, giving up a hit in his inning of work, as he induced a double play to end the game.
 
Matt Duffy pitched 3.1 innings of relief, yielding just two hits. He walked a pair and struck out four batters.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Today was a wild one. An absolute roller coaster of emotions and it took everyone. We talked about resiliency and taking everyone and we had the guys step up at the right time to get the job done."
 
"Mike Mazarra is as blue-collar as they come. He was amazing for us today and just what we needed at every big spot offensively and behind the plate. Mike delivered and he had a lot on his side today."

"It means a lot to be back in the final four for our program. We pride ourselves on our consistency and development. This helps mold our culture and when guys come into our program, they learn that championship opportunities are an expectation that they have to earn and will never be given. The path paved by the alumni allows us to be in this position."
 
GAME NOTES
• Mazzara's grand slam is the Griffs' first in MAAC Championship play since Brett Siddall in 2015 over Rider in an elimination game.
• With Vinny Chiarenza's grand slam last weekend at Monmouth and Mazzara's base-load blast today, it is the first time Canisius has multiple grand slams in a single season since 2015 (Siddall and Connor Panas).
• Mazzara established career highs in RBI (5) and hits (4) and became the first Griff with a four-hit game since Mark McKenna against Monmouth on May 5, 2019.
• Burlingame extended his on-base streak to 26 games with a single in the sixth inning, tying Christ Conley's 26-game streak in 2018 for the longest by a Griff.
• Canisius will be appearing in the final four of the MAAC Baseball Championship for the first time since 2019. The final four appearance will be Canisius' 12th in the last 13 championships.

UP NEXT
Canisius will travel to Fairfield, Conn., for the championship round of the MAAC Baseball Championship. The Griffs' opponent will be determined later as the final quarterfinal round series between Siena and Monmouth has not been decided.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
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