Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Canisius University Athletics

#Griffs The Official Home of the Canisius University Golden Griffins | #Griffs
Jake Zurat bats against Niagara on May 6, 2022
Lindy Feider
11
Winner Niagara University NIA 13-27, 8-8 MAAC
5
Canisius CAN 21-19, 11-5 MAAC
Winner
Niagara University NIA
13-27, 8-8 MAAC
11
Final
5
Canisius CAN
21-19, 11-5 MAAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Niagara University NIA 0 2 0 0 0 0 5 4 0 11 6 0
Canisius CAN 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 2

W: Smyth, Kyle (2-1) L: Hennessy, Ethan (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Niagara Plates Nine Unanswered Runs to Defeat Baseball

Niagara plated the final nine runs of Friday's MAAC baseball contest to defeat Canisius, 11-5, at the Demske Sports Complex in Buffalo, N.Y.
 
Josh Marchese hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh to lead the Purple Eagles' offense. Marchese (four RBI) and Cole O'Connor (three RBI) logged seven of the Purple Eagles' nine RBI in the contest.
 
Graduate student Mike Steffan had the lone multi-hit performance for Canisius (21-19, 11-5). Fellow graduate student Jake Zurat drove in a pair of runs.
 
Relievers Marty Cole and Kyle Smyth held Canisius hitless over the final 5.1 innings. Smyth was the winning pitcher for Niagara (13-27, 8-6), pitching four shutout innings of relief while walking three and striking out two.
 
Redshirt freshman Ethan Hennessy was on the wrong end of the decision after walking three and allowing four runs without registering an out.
 
Sophomore Matt Duffy allowed just two hits in his six-inning start. The right-hander struck out three and walked seven.
 
GAME RECAP
Canisius jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a bloop RBI double by Steffan and a two-run single by Zurat.
 
Niagara trimmed the lead in the second, 3-2, behind an RBI double by Brady Desjardins and a sacrifice fly by O'Connor.
 
Junior Kenny Dodson grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, leading to a Canisius run to score. Sophomore Max Grant followed with an RBI single that gave the Griffs a 5-2 lead after two.
 
In the fourth, Canisius had a chance to plate insurance runs as Grant drew a two-out walk prior to an infield single by Steffan loaded the bases. Niagara's starter, Evan Wilde, thwarted the two-out rally by getting a strikeout to end the frame.
 
Following four consecutive scoreless innings, Marchese capped a five-run seventh for Niagara with his grand slam, putting the Purple Eagles ahead 7-5. O'Connor drove in the other run earlier in the inning on a bases-loaded walk.
 
The Purple Eagles plated four runs with two outs in the eighth, increasing their lead to 11-5. O'Connor ignited the rally with an RBI double. Max Giordano drew a bases-loaded walk before a pair of Purple Eagles scored on a passed ball and throwing error.
 
Head Coach Matt Mazurek's Postgame Comments
"We didn't compete as a whole. We didn't throw strikes. We gave them too many opportunities to score and they capitalized when they needed to and we did not. They need to show up tomorrow ready to compete. If they compete and play their game, they're going to give themselves a chance to get right back into it."
 
GAME NOTES
• Friday marked the 222nd all-time meeting between the "Battle of the Bridge" rivals. Canisius is now 115-107 over Niagara with the setback. The Griffs' 10-game home winning streak over the Purple Eagles was snapped Friday. Niagara has won four of the last five overall games in the series.
• With his three strikeouts, Duffy now has 93 punchouts, tying J.P. Stevenson (93 in 2018) for the second-most strikeouts in a single season. Duffy is six strikeouts away from matching Mark West, who established the program record in 2000 (99).
• Zurat and junior Mike DeStefano each extended their career-long hit streaks Friday. Zurat's streak is now at eight straight, while DeStefano has a hit in his last nine.
• Zurat now has six RBI over his last four games and has three multi-RBI games during that span.
 
UP NEXT
Canisius and Niagara continue its three-game series at the Demske Sports Complex on Saturday with a noon first pitch. Game action will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @GriffsBaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
Print Friendly Version