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Matt Duffy pitches against Niagara at the 2022 MAAC Baseball Championship
Dave Schofield '71
0
Niagara University NIA 19-31
11
Winner Canisius CAN 26-23
Niagara University NIA
19-31
0
Final
11
Canisius CAN
26-23
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Niagara University NIA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0
Canisius CAN 1 0 0 2 0 8 X 11 10 0

W: Duffy, Matt (7-2) L: Cashman, Marcus (2-5)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Duffy Throws Three-Hit Shutout as Baseball Run-Rules Niagara

Sophomore pitcher Matt Duffy threw a complete game, three-hit shutout in third-seeded Canisius' 11-0 run-rule victory over sixth-seeded Niagara Wednesday in the MAAC Baseball Championships at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y.
 
Duffy retired the first 14 batters he faced before allowing a two-out single to Niagara's Benny Serrano in the fifth inning.

During the seven-inning contest, the 6-foot-1 right-handed pitcher allowed just five baserunners, issuing one walk, hitting a batter and allowing the three base hits. Duffy struck out seven batters, increasing his program record for strikeouts in a season to 112.
 
Offensively, junior Mike DeStefano, sophomore Max Grant and graduate student Gibson Krzeminski recorded two hits apiece for Canisius (26-23). DeStefano had a team-high three RBI, while Grant, Krezminski and senior Trevor Henneman each drove in a pair of runs.
 
Serrano logged two of the Purple Eagles' three hits, while Cole O'Connor had the other.
 
Marcus Cashman started for Niagara (19-31), ending up as the losing pitcher. He pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits while walking three and striking out two.
 
GAME RECAP
DeStefano was hit by a pitch to open the home half of the first. Grant followed with an RBI triple to center field, putting the Griffs ahead, 1-0.
 
Canisius would not score again until the fourth, using a two-run single by Henneman to score Krzeminski and sophomore Carlin Dick and build a 3-0 cushion. 
 
The bulk of the runs scored by the Griffs came in an eight-run sixth inning.
 
DeStefano recorded the first of four straight base hits, hitting a three-run triple to center field, increasing the Griffs' lead to 6-0. Grant and graduate student Mike Steffan notched consecutive singles, setting up an RBI single by Vinny Chiarenza. After a pitch hit senior Dylan Vincent, Krzeminski singled home two runs. Dick drove in the final run scored by the Griffs in the sixth on a sacrifice fly.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"Today was a good day. We executed on the mound, on defense and at that plate. We know that's what we need to do. Our offense did a great job today, letting the game come to them, competing for one another and not giving away at-bats.
 
"Matt Duffy was locked in for the second straight start. He has a very calm demeanor to him but knows when to turn it on when the level of competition rises. For him to [throw complete games] two years in a row in the MAAC Championship is impressive and speaks to his makeup.
 
"We just need to regroup and show up ready to go tomorrow."
 
GAME NOTES
• Wednesday was the 225th meeting between the Western New York rivals. Canisius improved to 117-108 over the Purple Eagles with the victory.
• With the victory, Canisius now has a 9-2 record as a No. 3 seed at the MAAC Baseball Championship, having won its last five games.
• Wednesday's shutout was the Griffs' first in postseason play since an 11-0 victory over Monmouth on May 26, 2018.
• Canisius recorded its fourth shutout of 2022, marking the most by the Griffs since also posting four shutouts in 2018.
• Duffy has not allowed a run in his last two starts and 14.1 innings pitched. He has yielded just seven hits in that stretch, issuing one walk and striking out 17.
• The eight-runs sixth matches the Griffs' postseason record for runs scored in an inning, matching an eight-run frame against Rider in the MAAC Tournament on May 24, 2013.
• Grant's first-inning triple was his sixth of 2022, tying him with Jesse Kelso (6 in 2012) for the third-most by a Griffs batter in a season. It is the most triples hit by a Canisius player since Connor Panas matched the program record in 2015 with seven.
• Grant recorded two hits Wednesday, increasing his season total to 82. The total matches Jake Lumley's output from 2015, which ranks sixth in a season in program history.
• The two triples by the Griffs are the most in postseason play since hitting a pair against Siena in the MAAC Tournament on May 26, 2016.
• Canisius now has 17 triples this season, matching the eighth-most by a Griffs squad in program history (2009 and 2018).
• DeStefano recorded his 21st steal of the year in the third inning, tying him with Anthony Massicci (2016) for the fourth-most by a Canisius player in a season.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius will play the No. 2 seed Marist on Thursday at Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y. First pitch between the Golden Griffins and Red Foxes is slated for 3 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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