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Canisius University Athletics

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Mike Steffan bats against Iona
Ken Morey
4
Iona ION 0-27, 0-9 MAAC
12
Winner Canisius CAN 14-14, 6-3 MAAC
Iona ION
0-27, 0-9 MAAC
4
Final
12
Canisius CAN
14-14, 6-3 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Iona ION 0 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 4 9 1
Canisius CAN 0 0 0 2 4 3 3 0 X 12 9 0

W: Yankowski, David (2-2) L: Mendoza, Vicente (0-5)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Scores 12 Runs to Sweep Series From Iona

Four Canisius players drove in two runs apiece as the Golden Griffins defeated Iona, 12-4, on Sunday afternoon to sweep a three-game MAAC baseball series at the Demske Sports Complex.
 
Sophomore Max Grant had a team-high three hits going 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a double and two RBI. Senior Trevor Henneman was the only other Canisius batter to register a multi-hit performance, going 2-for-4 with a home run.
 
Grant, redshirt freshman Josh Niles, senior Kyle Kush and graduate student Mike Steffan were the quartet to post two-RBI performances for the Griffs (14-14, 6-3).
 
Jim Kemp had two of Iona's three RBI on the day, going 2-for-3 at the plate for the Gaels (0-27, 0-9).
 
Senior David Yankowski earned the victory for Canisius after pitching three innings of relief. Junior Tom Peltier started the first four innings, allowing three runs and scattering five hits while striking out four. 
 
Iona's Vicente Mendoza was saddled with the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on four hits in 1.1 innings of relief. He walked four and struck out one.
 
Blake Helmstetter struck out six Canisius batters without allowing a hit in his three shutout innings.
 
GAME RECAP
Iona jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning behind three consecutive hits to open the frame. Jake Field opened the inning with an infield single before scoring on an RBI double by Kemp. Luca Lotito drove Kemp in on an RBI single.
 
After issuing a walk to junior Mike DeStefano to lead off the home half of the first, Helmstetter retired the next nine Canisius batters he faced. At one point, he logged five consecutive outs via strikeout.
 
Helmstetter was pulled after the third inning for Mendoza and the Griffs scored the following nine runs to take a 9-3 lead after the sixth.
 
Niles trimmed the Gaels' lead to 3-2 in the fourth with a two-run single. Henneman initiated a five-run fifth for Canisius with a leadoff opposite field home run before Grant put Canisius ahead with an RBI double. Junior Kenny Dodson (bases-loaded walk) and graduate student Jake Zurat (RBI groundout) increased the Griffs' advantage to 6-2.
 
In the sixth, Grant hit an RBI single that set up an inside-the-park home run by Steffan.
 
Iona trimmed its deficit to 9-4 in the seventh with a run scoring on a Canisius double play turned with the bases loaded.
 
Following a leadoff double by sophomore Carlin Dick and a walk by Zurat, Kush roped a two-run triple down the right field line. DeStefano later drove Kush home with an RBI groundout to round out the scoring.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"It's great getting the offense showing up in the middle third of the game and answer back. [Iona] got on top early and the guys answered, chipped away, and found their way for the big hits to come through and give us that lead that we never looked back from.
 
"That's [Resilience amongst the hitters] been big for us. We needed that. Early in the year, we succumbed to that a little bit. For them to not find success the first time through the order and the second time through the order, they're a little bit more comfortable, got a little more confidence going through them. They know that the first at-bat doesn't define their next at-bats. It's been good to see them put that to action.
 
"Guys were better owning the box, getting the pitches that they can handle and getting their swings off on those pitches. Working counts, finding their way to get what they needed, they weren't giving away at-bats early in counts. That's where we ran into some trouble a few weeks ago. We were giving away too many at-bats with weak swings. They're taking better swings, getting better pitches to hit, but they're working for it."
 
GAME NOTES
• Sunday marked the 66th all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona. The Griffs are now 41-25 over their Empire State rival and have won 34 of the last 38 in the series.
• Canisius is 62-9 under Matt Mazurek when leading after seven innings of play. The Griffs are also 40-7 when scoring 10-plus runs under Mazurek and are 9-1 in those instances in 2022.
• The Griffs have scored 10-plus runs in each of its last four games. It is the first time Canisius has scored a double-digit run total in four straight games since a five-game stretch in 2018.
• Canisius recorded multiple home runs for the third consecutive game. It is the team's first three-game streak with multiple home runs since a three-game stretch in 2018.
• With his leadoff walk, DeStefano extended his on-base streak to 28 games.
• Henneman's home run was the second of his career and his first since his collegiate debut at Charlotte on Feb. 24, 2019.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will head to Olean, N.Y., for a midweek contest against its Western New York rival St. Bonaventure. First pitch from Handler Park at McGraw-Jennings Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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