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Canisius University Athletics

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Brennan Chisholm bats against Iona on April 8, 2022
Ken Morey
6
Iona ION 0-25, 0-7 MAAC
12
Winner Canisius CAN 12-14, 4-3 MAAC
Iona ION
0-25, 0-7 MAAC
6
Final
12
Canisius CAN
12-14, 4-3 MAAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Iona ION 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 1 6 9 0
Canisius CAN 1 0 2 0 2 0 6 1 X 12 11 0

W: Consigli, Peyton (2-1) L: Hunt, Alex (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Six-Run Seventh Propels Baseball to Victory Over Iona

A six-run seventh inning by Canisius, punctuated by junior Mike DeStefano's grand slam, lifted the Golden Griffins to a 12-6 victory over Iona in the opening game of a three-game weekend MAAC baseball series.
 
DeStefano went 2-for-5 with a double and home run while driving in all four of his RBI with the seventh-inning blast. Sophomore Max Grant and graduate student Vinny Chiarenza recorded three hits apiece in the win for the Griffs (12-14, 4-3).
 
Luca Lotito drove in four of Iona's six runs, as he went 2-for-4 with a home run for the visiting Gaels (0-25, 0-7).
 
Freshman Peyton Consigli earned the victory after striking out a career-high five batters in two innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and one walk during his outing.
 
Sophomore Matt Duffy recorded his second consecutive 10-strikeout performance, fanning 10 batters over six innings of work. He allowed five runs on seven hits and issued just one free pass.
 
Drew Helmstetter went five innings in his second start of the season for Iona. He scattered eight hits and five runs in his outing. Helmstetter peppered the strike zone as just under 75 percent of his 83 pitches went for strikes (62).
 
GAME RECAP
DeStefano led the contest off with a ground-rule double to left field before scoring on a one-out RBI double by Grant.
 
Canisius extended its lead to 3-0 in the third behind a two-out rally that featured a solo home run by junior Brennan Chisholm and an RBI single by graduate student Mike Steffan. Chisholm's blast was his first collegiate round-tripper.
 
Iona trimmed Canisius' lead to 3-2 with a two-run fourth inning. Nick Forney hit an RBI single to plate Nick Carnevale, who led the frame off with a double. Lotito drove in his first run of the day on a two-out RBI single.
 
Steffan kick-started another two-out rally for Canisius with an RBI single that plated Chisholm. Thanks to a fortuitous bounce off the Demske Sports Complex turf, Chiarenza drove in another run on an RBI infield single.
 
Lotito responded to the Griffs' two-run fifth with a three-run home run in the sixth that tied the game, 5-5.
 
The six runs in the seventh inning allowed Canisius to regain the lead, 11-5. Five of the six runs scored in the frame came with two outs. Senior Kyle Kush drew a bases-loaded walk to plate the go-ahead run. Following a strikeout, sophomore Carlin Dick added a bases-loaded walk of his own, setting up DeStefano's grand slam.
 
Chiarenza added an insurance marker with an RBI double down the left field line in the eighth.
 
Jim Kemp hit a leadoff home run for Iona in the ninth to close out the scoring. 
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"It's great to get the first win of a three-game series. It's a good starter. That's our first [victory] in conference play on a Friday. Hopefully, it sets the tone for what's to come.
 
"Peyton Consigli has been that guy for us all year, that we can go to out of the 'pen. He did the same thing last weekend where runners got into scoring position with less than two outs and found ways to get strikeouts and out of the jam. He's been great for us.
 
"To get walks in that spot, you've got to be good in the zone. 3-2 counts with bases loaded, two outs, a lot of kids get tense and jumpy. For Kyle [Kyle Kush] and [Carlin Dick] to manage their way on base, it set up Mikey's [Mike DeStefano] home run. Getting a walk gave Mikey confidence to do what he did there."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday marked the 64th all-time meeting between Canisius and Iona. Canisius is now 32-4 all-time over the Gaels since 2008 and is 13-1 in its last 14 over the Gaels at home.
• Nine of Canisius' 12 runs scored on Friday came with two outs while recording seven of its 11 hits on the day while down to their final out.
• Canisius, as a pitching staff, struck out 15 Iona batters, extending its streak with a double-digit strikeout total to five games. Over the last five games, Canisius has struck out 65 batters (13.0 strikeouts per game).
• With his leadoff ground-rule double, DeStefano extended his on-base streak to 26 games. DeStefano's grand slam was the first since Mike Mazzara against Marist in the MAAC Quarterfinal Round on May 21, 2021.
• Under Matt Mazurek, Canisius is now 60-9 when leading after seven innings of play and 38-7 when scoring 10-plus runs. Canisius is 7-1 when plating a double-digit run total this season.
• Chisholm became the second Griff to hit his first collegiate home run this season. Max Grant was the other to do so on Feb. 25 at Morehead State.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Iona will return to action on Saturday at the Demske Sports Complex for the second game of this weekend's three-game series. First pitch is slated for 2:30 p.m. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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