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Max Grant waits for a pitch against Niagara
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11
Winner Canisius CAN 3-2
4
Morehead State MOR 1-4
Winner
Canisius CAN
3-2
11
Final
4
Morehead State MOR
1-4
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Canisius CAN 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 1 11 16 2
Morehead State MOR 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 4 7 1

W: Duffy, Matt (2-0) L: HELTON, Luke (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Late Offensive Surge Lifts Baseball Past Morehead State

Nine of Canisius' 11 runs scored against Morehead State came in the final four innings as the Golden Griffins defeated the Eagles, 11-4, at a chilly Allen Field in Morehead, Ky., on Friday afternoon.
 
Sophomore Max Grant went 4-for-5, scoring four times and clubbing his first collegiate home run. Freshman Josh Niles logged his first multi-RBI performance, driving in a team-high three runs.
 
Grant's classmate, Matt Duffy, earned his second victory of the season in as many appearances, pitching six shutout innings, yielding just two hits and striking out seven. Of his 83 pitches, 64 went for strikes.
 
Canisius scored early, plating a pair of runs in the opening frame. Carlin Dick and Grant opened the contest with back-to-back singles. Dick scored on an RBI groundout off the bat of Mike Steffan. Mike DeStefano followed up by singling home Grant before DeStefano was thrown out at second attempting to stretch his hit into a double.
  
Offense came hard to come by as the teams combined for just three hits from the second to fifth innings.

Morehead State's starting pitcher, Luke Helton, retired 10 straight Golden Griffin batters after allowing a leadoff single by Dylan Vincent in the second.
 
A two-run sixth for Canisius chased Helton from the game, who retired the leadoff batter in the inning. The Griffs offense hit a spark as a DeStefano walk set up three straight base hits, including an RBI single by Niles and an RBI double by Kyle Kush, putting the Blue and Gold up 4-0.
 
Helton allowed eight hits and four runs in 5.1 innings of work, walking a pair and striking out three Griffs batters.
 
In the seventh, Canisius extended its lead to 6-0 behind a leadoff home run by Grant, who clobbered a 3-1 pitch over the netting in right field. Niles added his second RBI later in the inning on another RBI single.
 
Morehead State plated three runs in the bottom half of the seventh, all of which came with two outs. A pinch-hit double by Nick Gooden set up an RBI double by Ashton Roy. Ryley Preece drove in Roy with a two-run home run, cutting the Eagles' deficit to 6-3.
 
Canisius posted four runs in the eighth, giving the Griffs some insurance runs. Chiarenza singled home the first run before a Morehead State fielding error led to another score. In as many innings, Niles recorded his third RBI, plating Chiarenza on a sacrifice fly. A bases-loaded walk by Mike Mazzara put Canisius ahead 10-3.
 
Grant scored on a passed ball in the ninth before Morehead State scored on a bases-loaded walk of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Matt [Matt Duffy] was locked in from the get-go today. He had a great plan and executed his pitches. In the first, they made him throw a lot of pitches but he settled in and gave us a great outing.
 
"We got two runs in the first and then we got a little swing happy. Swinging early at pitches we weren't looking for. Later we just started to do a better job with our individual approach and getting pitches we were looking for and doing better with them.
 
"Our offense continues to develop as we go with our approach and being good in our zone. We preach being strong in the box. When we have found success this year, that is a product of their commitment."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday was the 14th all-time meeting between Canisius and Morehead State. The Griffs are now 9-5 all-time over the Eagles and have won the last five in the series.
• Canisius has scored at least six runs in 11 of the 14 meetings and has a double-digit run total in eight games.
• The Griffs have scored 11-plus runs in three of its first five games this season. It is the first time since 2008 that a Canisius team has recorded three double-digit run totals in its first five games.
• With the 11 runs Friday, Canisius scored 10-plus runs in consecutive games for the first time since a three-game stretch last season (10 vs. Quinnipiac – May 10; 20 and 21 vs. Saint Peter's in a May 12 doubleheader).
• Under head coach Matt Mazurek, Canisius is 34-6 when scoring 10-plus runs. The Griffs have won 15 of its last 16 games when logging a double-digit run total.
• Duffy recorded his fourth career game with six-plus strikeouts. He has fanned at least seven batters in each of his last three appearances.
• With his six shutout innings pitched, Duffy recorded his fourth career quality start. Canisius has a 4-0 record when Duffy logs a quality start.
• Grant's four hits and four runs scored were both career highs for the sophomore.
• Dick recorded his 10th career multi-hit game. Canisius is 8-2 in games when the sophomore has multiple base knocks.
• DeStefano drew three walks in the contest, establishing a new single-game best.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Morehead State continue its four-game series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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