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Canisius University Athletics

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Mike Steffan high-fives a teammate at Monmouth
Dave Schofield '71
11
Winner Canisius CAN 1-0
3
Pitt UP 0-1
Winner
Canisius CAN
1-0
11
Final
3
Pitt UP
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 0 0 3 1 3 0 2 1 1 11 15 0
Pitt UP 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 3 7 0

W: Duffy, Matt (1-0) L: Matt Gilbertson (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Steffan Powers Baseball Past Pittsburgh in Season Opener

Graduate student Mike Steffan drove home five runs on a pair of home runs, leading the Canisius baseball team to an 11-3 season-opening victory over Pittsburgh on Friday afternoon at Centennial Park in Port Charlotte, Fla.
 
Steffan and sophomore Max Grant went 3-for-5 on the day, while sophomore Carlin Dick and junior Mike DeStefano also had multi-hit performances.
 
Sophomore Matt Duffy had a strong opening day start, logging six innings of work, yielding two runs on four hits and striking out eight.
 
Canisius opened the contest scoring the first seven runs, starting with a three-run third inning. DeStefano drove in the first two runs on a two-out single before later scoring on a Pittsburgh passed ball.
 
Senior Kyle Kush led off the next inning with a double and was then brought home on a two-out RBI double by Dick.
 
Steffan clubbed the first of his two home runs of the contest in the fifth inning — a three-run shot to right field — after graduate student Vinny Chiarenza led the frame off with a single before DeStefano drew a walk.
 
Pittsburgh's Tatem Levins snapped the Griffs' scoring streak with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Steffan's second round-tripper of the day put Canisius in front 9-2 in the seventh inning before the Griffs added insurance markers in the eighth and ninth innings. Dick scored off a wild pitch in the eighth before graduate student Gibson Krzeminski hit a solo home run in the ninth.
 
A pinch-hit RBI single by Tommy Tavares in the bottom of the ninth rounded out the scoring.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"It was a good day. We competed at the plate, got a great start and handled the baseball. The way we approached our business today was what we needed out of the gates.
 
"Mike Steffan put together great at-bats today with a mature approach. His first home run was a product of an elite approach. He was great today.
 
"Our offense came out ready to hit. We left a few opportunities on the table but cashed in on the majority. The energy the top of the order gave to the rest of the lineup was contagious.
 
"Matt Duffy came out and gave us a great start. He pounded the zone and gave his defense plenty of confidence behind him."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the 14th all-time meeting between Canisius and Pittsburgh, the first since 2005. Canisius snapped its five-game losing streak to the Panthers, winning its first game since a 7-5 triumph on May 1, 2002. The Griffs are now 3-11 all-time against Pitt.
• Canisius opened the season with a victory over an ACC opponent for the second time in program history. The other instance came in the 2014 opener, blanking then-No. 5 N.C. State, 3-0.
• With the victory, Canisius won its first season-opening game since a 10-7 win at Gardner-Webb on Feb. 17, 2017. It was also the first victory over a Power Five opponent since defeating Kansas State, 15-3, on March 19, 2019.
• The 11 runs scored on opening day were the most by the Griffs since a 14-run effort against Youngstown State on Feb. 17, 2012, in Cary, N.C.
• Steffan is the first Golden Griffin on record since 1990 to hit multiple home runs on Opening Day. The three home runs as a team are also the most in a season-opener in that same timeframe.
• Duffy earned the start for Canisius, becoming the first sophomore to start a season opener since Matt Weber opened his sophomore campaign at Alabama in 2007.
• Duffy's eight strikeouts are the most by a Canisius Opening Day starter since current assistant coach Garrett Cortright had eight against UAlbany on Feb. 15, 2013, in Cary, N.C.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Pittsburgh continue their four-game series in Port Charlotte, Fla., tomorrow with a doubleheader. First pitch of the opening game is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on FloSports.TV.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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