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Canisius University Athletics

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Justin Guiliano May 24, 2023 vs Niagara Clover Stadium in Pomona, N.Y.
Ken Morey
2
Niagara NIA 24-22-1
6
Winner Canisius CAN 25-24-1
Niagara NIA
24-22-1
2
Final
6
Canisius CAN
25-24-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Niagara NIA 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 2 5 3
Canisius CAN 1 0 2 0 1 0 1 1 X 6 10 1

W: Guiliano, Justin (3-4) L: Minckler,Ryan (0-9) S: Abbott, Levi (2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Keeps Season Alive with Win Over Niagara

Senior Mike DeStefano went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored and redshirt-sophomore pitcher Justin Guiliano earned his third win of the year on the hill, as the Canisius baseball team staved off elimination with a 6-2 win over Niagara in the first elimination game of the 2023 MAAC Baseball Championship Wednesday night at Clover Stadium in Pamona, N.Y.
 
With the victory, the Golden Griffins (25-24-1) move on in the tournament's elimination round, where the Blue and Gold will play an opponent to be determined on Thursday night at 7 p.m. The loss ended the season for the Purple Eagles, who see their 2023 campaign end with an overall record of 24-22-1.
 
Game Recap
With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom-half of the third, DeStefano put the Blue and Gold ahead for good with an RBI-single, and later in the frame, he gave the Griffs some breathing room after he raced home on a wild pitch with two outs to put Canisius up 3-1 after three full innings of play. Canisius added another run in the fifth to make the score 4-1 after sophomore Jackson Strong scored on a safety-squeeze, sacrifice-bunt by senior Kenny Dodson.
 
In the top-half of the sixth, Niagara cut the Griffs' lead in half to 4-2 thanks to an RBI-double off the bat of Matt Ward, however, Strong gave Canisius its three-run lead back in the bottom-half of the seventh after he led off the frame for the Griffs with a solo shot over the fence in right for his team-leading 13th homer of the season to make the score 5-2. The Griffs tacked on an insurance marker in the eighth thanks to an RBI-double by junior Max Grant, which allowed Vincent to score from second base.
 
The six runs on 10 hits for the Griffs were more than enough for the team's pitching staff, which used just three pitchers in the elimination game. Guiliano earned the win in relief after he allowed one run on two hits to go with four strikeouts and three walks in 3.0 innings of work. Guiliano came on in relief of Canisius starter Andrew Fron, who matched a season-high with 4.0 innings of work. In that time, he allowed just one run on three hits while fanning three and walking two. Junior Levi Abbott closed the door on Niagara's season and earned the save by retiring all six Niagara batters he faced in the game's final two frames.
 
DeStefano's three-hit effort marked his 22nd multi-hit game of the year and it also marked his 16th three-hit game in the Griffs' last 103 contests, dating back to the 2022 campaign. Vincent and Strong each scored a pair of runs in the victory for Canisius, which has now beaten Niagara in the MAAC Baseball Championship in back-to-back years for the first time in program history.
 
Game Notes
• Canisius has now won a game in the MAAC Baseball Championship in three-straight seasons.
• The Griffs stole a pair of bases in the winning effort, making this year's team the second in program history to swipe 100-plus bags in a single-season. The 2013 edition of the Griffs stole a program-record 107 bases.
• Fron made his second career start in a MAAC Championship tournament game, and his first since the 2021 campaign.
• Guiliano fanned 12 batters across 6.0 innings of work against Niagara this season.
• Abbott's save was his second of the season and his first since April 22 against Quinnipiac.
• DeStefano has now reached base safely in three of the team's last five contests, and dating back to the start of the 2022 season, he has reached base safely in 91 of the Griffs' last 103 outings.
• Strong's 13 homers are the most for a Canisius hitter since Sean Jamieson had 13 home runs during the 2011 campaign.
 
Up Next
Canisius will play its second game in the 2023 MAAC Baseball Championship elimination round on Thursday night, when the Griffs play an opponent to be determined. Game time of the Griffs' next contest is set for 7 p.m., at Clover Stadium in Pamona, N.Y., and that game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
 
For complete coverage of Canisius baseball, please follow @griffsbaseball on Instagram and Twitter.
 
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